Kashi's Thanksgiving Day Blow Out
by avrjoe
Summary: Kashi Kimura wants to have a restful holiday. Events spiral out of control. Featuring insane Fey, overworked Hunters, heroic humans, concerned mothers, and a Canadian Sidereal.
1. Chapter 1

California State Prison

Los Angeles County (LAC)

Sunday, November 18th, 2012

* * *

Jin "Jet" Kimura watched the action on T.V. Normally such a tense game would have been a cacophony of back and forth of cheers and jeers from opposing fans. However, if there were any in the audience that didn't want to see the Bruins win against the San Diego Aztecs, they remained respectfully silent.

Jin's boy, Kashi, was playing. Even if his son had been the worst player in the pitch, no one would have said a word. Jet was not the sort of man to listen to criticism. He was taller than most at 6'1" and while not bulky, he was covered in lean muscle. Like his son, he looked fast. Like his son, he tended to show off his toned muscles. Unlike his son, his tan skin was covered in old scars and tattoos. He had the appearance of a man you didn't want to antagonize. The fact that he was a bound blood brother with the leader of the Devil's Wolves Motorcycle Club was even more reason to show respect or simply not watch the game.

Not that anyone worried about that too much now. The first few games of the season every soccer fan in the place had seen that Jin's boy was good. He had become a sensation.

It wasn't just a bunch of inmates that Kashi had won over. The coaching staff was so impressed that they had gone from reluctantly putting the freshman on the varsity squad to eagerly putting him on the pitch due to his phenomenal abilities. Although he had played in other games, today Jin's boy was actually getting the first start of his college career. But that would have its consequences.

The Bruins started in a normal 4-2-1-3 formation with Kashi getting to start in the center forward position in place of the resting senior, Ortiz. However, things didn't start off rosey for the Bruins as San Diego quickly scored on a beautiful through ball in the 12th minute, putting up an early lead. They continued to maintain possession in the Bruin's side of the pitch and at halftime the score was 3-0 with Kashi having barely touched the ball and UCLA, as a whole, having only a scant fourteen minutes of possession in the first forty five.

Jet didn't let any emotion show on his face throughout the entirety of the first half or halftime and when the Aztecs quickly intercepted the ball and scored a fourth goal just five minutes after play resumed, everyone thought the game was over. Not long after, there looked to be an argument on the sideline between Kashi and the coach. Finally, throwing his hands up in frustration, the coach sent in Ortiz, the striker, to play center midfield in place of a more defensive sophomore. Following a quick consultation with the team, the ball was put back in play. This time, however, things did not go well for San Diego.

The Aztecs won the ball in midfield as had become the norm, but Ortiz and Kashi immediately dropped back deep into the back field and provided two more roving bodies that could attack the ball. With the fresh legs of Ortiz and Kashi's relatively unused legs and amazing stamina, the ball was recovered as Kashi called out plays like he was on a basketball court instead of a soccer pitch.

With Kashi as the spear head, they worked their way down the pitch with amazing footwork and a laser like focus on their objective. Kashi sent a burner to the top left, beating the keeper and, in a tournament record, less than two minutes later repeated the performance in mirror like fashion, finishing on the top right this time in a beautiful shot. San Diego pushed back, but with Kashi and Ortiz floating back to give double or triple coverage there wasn't much that the opposing team could do but try to run out the clock.

But Kashi wasn't just an offensive player. He knew how to tackle and had the strength to do it too. Ortiz had spent a lot of time away from practice working with the defense and the end result was a better defense from them and better offense from Ortiz, but the real beauty in this situation was the cross pollination of skills. They knew how to set up the clever offside traps and stop the crosses. If anything, these two strikers had the best awareness on the pitch. As a result, there was no resting as Kashi, Ortiz, and the rest of Bruins pushed the Aztecs relentlessly.

The next goal was destined to be on highlight reels for years as a quick shot by a fellow striker was deflected upward by the San Diego goalie. The goalie regained his feet in plenty of time and thought to merely hop in the air and grab the ball. But Kashi read the arc of the ball and the goalie's intent and took off full speed toward the falling ball. In a monumental feat of strength and agility, Kashi managed to jump high enough in the air to tap the ball with his head. Contact with the ball first insured no foul as he plowed over the goalie in spectacular fashion. On his way to the turf he managed to twist his body around and his right foot found the ball in what was probably the most insane bicycle kick for a goal in the history of the sport.

Down by one with only eleven minutes left to play, those consequences began to rear their head. It started with the Aztecs swarming Kashi under in a not so subtle attempt to mimic his own defensive strategy. Kashi could usually get away in a one on one. Two on one was a tough fight, but even he was having trouble with the triple and quadruple teams on him. While that usually would allow for more than a few open people to pass the ball to, San Diego proved quite adept at shutting down the passing lanes.

The Bruins had made their final substitutions ten minutes ago, and the wear from working the entire pitch was showing clearly in the performance of Ortiz. Kashi, though having greater stamina, had played twice as long and was forced to work harder. As a result, even his seemingly unending reserves were beginning to be tested.

Still, a blind searching through ball found Kashi and he raced full speed down the pitch laying it off to his teammate at the last second for the easy score tying the game and sending the home crowd to a fever pitch as hope sprang anew.

"Punks are on him like flies, Jet. The kid can't make a move," one of the lifers said.

"It's taking the other team so much to defend against him they're letting other plays pass through. That's still winning them the game if only just. Kids got what it takes to go pro," one of the guards stated.

Jet nodded in agreement.

As the game headed towards the final minutes the opposition realized the same thing the guard had noticed. There wasn't as many covering him as often now, but frustration was building and some hard checks were being made against Jin's boy. In was in the last minute of stoppage time when Kashi deeked first one defender then the other and raced toward the goal. A third stood in his way but a quick stutter and right fake threw the defender off balance. A spin move to the left with a leading kick to his right pushed the defender in a chasing scenario as Kashi glided behind him. Just inside the box, he found Ortiz, onside, and open at the far post. A quick cross and that's the game. As the ball left his right foot, however, pain exploded in Kashi's leg as two late, desperate, and hard slide tackles came in. One came in from Kashi's left and knocked his left foot out from under him and wrenching the leg hard to his right, and the second arriving milliseconds later caught the back right of the his foot. The end result was a knee twisted in a grotesque fashion. He crumpled on the pitch screaming in pain and never saw Ortiz put the winning goal in the back of the net with a beautiful textbook header at the end of stoppage time.

A young punk on his first year spoke up. "Holy shit! That looked like a break! Did you see that shit?"

His teeth snapped shut as he noticed Jin's glare. The home team fans were going crazy. Some in celebration as they had all but won, and others crying out in dismay as Kimura wasn't getting up. Trainers rushed onto the pitch and after a few moments a stretcher was waved on as well. Kashi was carefully loaded, first on the stretcher, then on a cart, all the while taking great pains to be gentle with his knee. As the cart slowly began to pull away one of his teammates leaned down and whispered in his ear. Kashi's nodded. His head shot up and looked to his left directly at a camera. He was still grimacing in pain, but through that grimace was a toothy, goofy, smile and he gave a big thumbs up. The crowd lost their minds.

"Heh looks like he might be ok," the guard observed as San Diego took a wild shot from midfield to end the game. "Hell of a champ to take a hit like that and still be smiling," he said shaking his head as the whistle blew three times signaling the end of the game.

"I'll say. The boy's tough like his old man," the lifer noted.

"You're goddamn right," Jet said.

* * *

The Court of the Empress of the United States and Protector of Mexico

San Francisco, California, USA

Monday, November 19th, 2012

* * *

Kevin was a troll. He would have been a Grump in the days before the magic started to flow again. Now, however, he was the captain of the Imperial guard. He had to be prepared to face every danger to the throne.

He advanced and kneeled before his empress. "Your Imperial Majesty, I bring grave tidings. We have captured a member of Cult of the Onrushing Tide. We have put him to the question. He has revealed much about the Cult and their plans."

"The Onrushing Tide are fanatics of the worst sort. Their delusion that they can master the coming waves of chaos are proof enough of that. Any defeat of their numbers is a victory for us all," Empress Nora said regally.

The empress was only 16 as human reckoning went. However, she had lived a life high in adventure, having seen and done more than mortals twice her years. Her dusky skin and dark eyes were complimented by the pale ivory of the diaphanous gossamer gown she wore. Her lustrous black hair was adorned with a net of silver and pearls.

She had, with the aid of the mighty werewolf Alex Silbern, been among the first to breach the lost gates of Arcadia. She led the way for the first fae pilgrims and made it into the heart of the wasteland to learn the dark truths within. She had been the only one brave enough to throw herself into the Wyld Storm where she had wrested her title from the universe itself.

"The news I bear is most dire. The mastermind behind their plotting is revealed. Your chief minister Jerrold is not only the head of the Tide, but the architect of their organization! He is the founder of their heresy!"

"Impossible! He was with her majesty from the beginning. That would mean from its very inception, our great moment and all our work to unite the fae and work alongside others for the betterment of the world we share was doomed," one courtier exclaimed.

"Doomed? Hardly, but it does explain how our enemies quickly learned our secret techniques and easily kept pace with our work," the empress said.

"Things are worse. Jerrold has built a weapon based on the old magic. It works like the fabled flute of Hamelin, only on in a grander scale. It draws power from those charmed into its procession. The more people charmed, the stronger and more far ranging the effect. Given time, I fear nothing could stop it," Kevin explained

"They will not attack here. Jerrold knows our defense is too strong. He also knows we would defend the humans. Send warning to our allies in New Orleans, Mobile and even Los Angeles. They must all be on guard. This court is dismissed so that you all might see to it at once," Nora ordered, her chin lifted in a defiant cast that gave the court hope.

"As you will, milady," the court intoned nearly as one.

Near a fountain in the park, a custodian shook his head while watching the high school and college kids break up. He watched till the LARPers left and then continued to clean up the park. They were an odd bunch, but at least they never left a mess.

* * *

Sports Medicine Office

UCLA, California

Monday, November 19th, 2012

* * *

Banyan Kimura kept eye contact with her son as the doctor examined his knee. Kashi, meanwhile, was trying to look anywhere but into his mother's eyes.

"That was one of the nastiest fouls I've ever seen. It sure looked like your knee dislocated on the video from yesterday's game, but it must have just been a bad twist. You are one lucky young man, Kimura. If it had been a dislocation you might have never played again. Knee injuries are very serious," the doctor said, fretting slightly.

Kashi frowned. He was glad no one had been close enough to get a good look when he had been injured. He had been able to force everything back into what felt like the right location. It had hurt like hell to do, however, he knew if anyone saw the true extent of his injuries, he would be off the team. He had not even thought about how, after seeing the injury heal, his secret would be out as only the Manifested healed so fast.

Banyan, however, had pointed this out. She had been insistent that Kashi play up his injury to help mask the speed at which he was healing. Kashi had argued with his mother, however. He wanted to get back to playing as soon as he could.

Tell me when this starts to hurt so I have an idea of how bad the bruising is," the doctor said as he started to gently prod the flesh around the knee.

Banyan narrowed her eyes in warning. Kashi's mouth formed a defiant, tight line. Banyan folded her arms with implicit threat.

"Yeah it hurts right there, Doc," Kashi spat sullenly.

"Odd. Even with just bruising it should be worse than that," the doctor said.

"He's playing tough. I've warned him about that," Banyan said, not bothering to hide her displeasure with her son.

"Well keep that brace. Take these when things get too hurting too much. I'll see you again next week," the doctor explained.

"After the next game?" Kashi asked dully.

"Yes after your teammates get back from the next game. Too bad you won't be there for the third round of the championship. The coaches were playing you too much as it was. It was only a matter of time before something like this happened," the doctor said, walking out with Kashi's file.

"This is bullshit," Kashi said.

"Kashi! You have to keep quiet about this," Banyan said.

Kashi fumed. Banyan motioned for him to get into the wheelchair she had used to bring him into the building. Kashi flopped down into the chair petulantly.

"Once again what are these stupid powers good for? Nothing but screwing up my life! If I didn't have to keep them quiet, I could play," Kashi said childishly.

"Kashi! Did you listen? If it wasn't for your gifts, you might never walk right again," Banyan said, her tolerance for her son's ill mood wearing thin.

"I'd have been fine!" Kashi spat defiantly.

"Do you want to make Willow sound right about you, Kashi, because this is how you make your sister sound right about you," Banyan quipped hoping to lighten her sons dark mood with a bit of humor.

"Willow doesn't know shit about shit," Kashi mumbled bitterly.

"I've had about enough," Banyan said, stunned at Kashi's temper.

"So have I!" Kashi spat back, setting his chair in motion with the wheel grips before his mother could get a grip and push him.

Banyan sighed she was not looking forward to the trip home.

* * *

Inglewood High

Inglewood, California

Monday, November 19th, 2012

* * *

Willow Kimura had a talent for impressing school administrations. She had a long history of playing to that talent to earn favors.

She impressed her elementary school teachers with her excellent behavior, incredible intelligence, and willingness to help out. Her last year in elementary school she had planned forward and through those teachers made the acquaintance of her future middle school staff.

From the day she had started middle school she worked to gain favor with the high school administration. While not proud to be calling on a child when in need, everyone enjoyed what was effectively a personal IT staffer who never wanted money, never asked for much or needed for her grades to be fixed. All she ever seemed to want was help getting into programs her intelligence already qualified her for.

As such, she didn't spend much of her schedule within the actual school itself. She had cashed in favors from the faculty to register for more dual enrollment classes than a student, in particular a freshman, ever should have been allowed.

Her plan was to milk the high school program for as many college credits as she could, just as she did the middle schools system for high school credit.

However, the faculty had been rather insistent that she take some elective classes that would "balance" her curriculum and socialization.

She had been resistant to the idea. However, she did love singing and one of the programs offered was choir. Willow found herself enjoying it. She also found herself spending more time socializing with others.

She had even learned a few thing by spending more time with her fellow classmates, like, for example, that Kimmy knew so much about Ken because they had gone to dance class together since they were nine.

She saw Kimmy and Ken talking and walked over to them. "Hey, are you both still coming over Thursday morning?"

"Yeah, your mom sure is great to help us out. Normally my mom takes us to events when we have a show, but with Aunt Abby sick, mom's expected to cook Thanksgiving dinner. With everyone coming over she feels like she'd be letting the family down if she didn't," Kimmy said.

"I don't know what we would do without your mom being so kind, Willow. My mom would be risking a major fight with my dad. He hates that I'm in dance. So if she offered to spend the day shuttling me and Kimm back and forth..." Ken trailed off with a sad shake of his head.

"No, it's great. Nana Johnson always eats with us. She always says she misses having a large group over for Thanksgiving. She was excited just to have Sayuri coming this year. It will be fun to have you over. You better be careful, though. I know you can't eat anything heavy before going to perform but Nana can be very persuasive," Willow said, warning the two with mock severity in her voice.

"I think we will just have to risk it," Ken said with a smile.

"We're are not holding you up are we? You looked like you were going somewhere," Kim said to Willow.

"I won't be late, but I should move along. Mrs. Randall wanted to see me about choir," Willow shrugged.

"Oh, well, good luck," Kim said.

Willow walked on entering her music teacher's office. Mrs. Randall was there waiting. Mrs. Randall was young for a teacher. She had high cheek bones. striking facial features, and voluminous hair she kept swept back. Whether or not it was a weave seemed to be a common topic of whispered conversation when she was out of her earshot among the student body. She dressed more like she was working in an upscale office than a school.

Willow had not been expecting another staff member to be present but there was Mr. Hernandez, one of the guidance counselors. He was a small, portly fellow who kept his receding hair short and, while he wore a tie, he also wore short sleeved dress shirts. Willow thought it made him look like a Hispanic recast of Homer Simpson.

"Come in, Willow. Have a seat there," Mrs. Randall said.

Mr. Hernandez spoke first. "You know, I saw a great deal of your brother, but from your transcripts you're not the sort to have the need for these sort of meetings. You are a very intelligent young lady with a diligent study ethic. The only place your grades seem to suffer any is in physical education," he said.

"I've always made the minimum prerequisites for advancement," Willow said, worry creeping into her voice.

"This isn't about P.E. but it is related, Willow. You are one of the most talented young singers I have had the privilege of teaching, but your stamina is atrocious. From what I've seen during practice, you can't maintain your energy. As of right now, you would not be able to make it through an entire show or competition," Mrs. Randall explained.

"You're kicking me out of choir?" Willow fretted.

"No, nothing so hasty as that. We try to correct problems, not give up in the face of them," Mrs. Randall said smiling.

"You need to work to build up your stamina. It's funny, really, your brother has always had what seemed like limitless stamina. Too much at times, really," Mr. Hernandez laughed to himself. "You know, keeping up with him was almost a job in and of itself. That's why one of the suggestions we have is for you to try enlist Kashi as an aide in whatever plans we make. That boy helped a number of young athletes at this school increase their performance. I'm sure that he'd spare even more effort for his own sister," he said.

"If you say so, sir," Willow replied pliantly.

Internally, however, Willow was filled with numb shock. She knew all Kashi saw when he looked at her was a useless burden. Whenever she tried to help him, he yelled at her and threatened her. In her mind, he held her very existence up as a point where his life veered off into chaos. She knew he secretly blamed her as the reason their father wasn't around. He bellyached about her dragging him into trouble that was of his own making. God forbid she actually ask him for help.

Banyan would be even worse. Willow felt her mother would use any excuse to say she was trying to do too much and should scale back. She had worked hard to keep her mother ignorant of just how many advanced academic programs she was taking. Her mother would claim she was working too hard and risking burn out. Unlike Kashi, who often played multiple sports despite middling to poor scholastics. She snapped her attention back to what the pair of teachers were saying. She would have to pay attention. She was going to have to take care of this herself. Par for the course, she knew the only one she could count on was herself.

* * *

Kimura Home

Inglewood, California

Monday, November 19th, 2012

* * *

Banyan parked her car in it's regular spot in front of the house and opened the car door for her son. "Kashi, don't forget the cane Nana loaned you," she reminded him.

"Nana never uses this damn cane and she's over 80," Kashi groaned.

"She's on her porch, she can see you," Banyan hissed.

"Fine," Kashi said, relenting.

Putting his weight on the cane, Kashi stepped out of the car and waved to Mrs. Johnson across the way while Banyan unlocked and opened the door to their house. He then followed his mother inside.

"Kashi, we need to talk and I need you to listen and act like an adult. I know you're very disappointed your first year on UCLA's soccer team ended like this, but I don't have the mental energy to keep walking on eggshells around you," Banyan said.

Kashi clenched his jaw. "Oh, God do we have to do this?"

"I'm not looking forward to it anymore than you are," Banyan said.

"Fine," Kashi said, flopping down on the sofa.

Sighing, Banyan took the nearby chair. "You wanted to be a soccer star. I wanted you to follow your dreams. I told you that, to dream big, but that you had to plan for failure. You did that, you came up with career options to follow if you did not get your wish. Kashi, you are rapidly approaching the point where you are going to have to make a choice. With this injury you can likely finish out this year without incident. Next year, if you keep playing, you run the serious odds of getting caught. If you're caught, they'll not only yank your scholarship they'll call you a cheater. I know that will hurt you more than anything."

"But I didn't cheat! The whole time I've resisted the temptation. I know I can use a little power without the light show but I know that isn't fair! I've played my games honest! I won because I AM that good," Kashi argued.

"They're not going to believe you. Even if you didn't, your body doesn't tire as quickly. You're harder to hurt and the way you heal isn't normal. Kashi, you have an advantage over everyone and it is an unfair advantage. Maybe not to you, but the men who make the rules say that's the way it is. It's why Manifested are barred from professional sports. Kashi, you know deep down you will never go pro now. You're not going to be able to keep this secret underwraps given that level of scrutiny. You have to decide if another year of soccer is worth being labeled a cheat," Banyan said, attempting to reason with her son.

Kashi looked as if he wanted to argue more but, instead, he put his forehead to his knees and laid his head in the palms of his hands for a few minutes. When he looked back up, his eyes showed he had resolved to accept his fate.

He put his first two fingers of his right hand up to his right temple and started to rub it in a circular motion; a sign he was in deep thought. "If I don't play next year, my scholarship is gone. So, my third their idea of getting a business degree and owning a restaurant would be out. I'd only have one year of college. No degree and no time to cash in on my talent to save up an initial investment to open one."

"You could still be a firefighter. You like the idea of that. You could get a Pell Grant to a cheaper college? I don't make that much. You shouldn't have too much trouble getting financial aid," Banyan suggested.

"Maybe I could get a part time job as a lifeguard. I'd go into that full time if the field wasn't so crowded," Kashi said, thinking.

"And if you had to use your powers, if you blew your cover to save a life, you could pretend it was the first time. You could tell everyone it was the stress. I think people would believe that. It would be better to be thought of as a life saver than a cheat," Banyan said.

Kashi nodded. "Yeah, I guess so."

"There is one other thing, Kashi, it's not something I'm thrilled about either, but worse comes to worse you could get Sayuri's cousin to get you a meeting with Dr. Alani-Silbern up at M.S.I. I think they would help you. They would make sure no one hurt you or locked you up at least," Banyan said, her real fear finally coming out.

"I'll keep it in mind, but only as a last resort. I don't really want to drag Sayuri into this, even indirectly. Fuck, the least life could have done was give me a good shot at the championship after being so shitty as to take away my chances of going pro," Kashi said sadly.

Banyan's head shot up. "Kashi! Language!"

Kashi flushed. He'd forgotten himself in his agitation. "Sorry," he mumbled. "Well, at least I have a nice, restful Thanksgiving with lots of food to eat. If I'm not in training, I can at least cut loose with that," he said, trying to look on the brightside.


	2. Chapter 2

Kimura Household

Inglewood, California

Thursday, November 22nd, 2012

Thanksgiving Day

* * *

It was ten in the morning and things were already bustling at the Kimura house. Kashi was arranging cloves, pineapple slices and cherries into a ham that was getting ready to go into the oven. Banyan had washed the dirty dishes that Kashi had already used and was preparing to put them away.

They could see and hear the others in the living room through the open doorway. Edith "Nana" Johnson had began her yearly ritual by pulling out an old fashioned photo album. She insisted it was part of what kept the holiday on track. Thanksgiving was about family to her. Banyan and her children had become unofficially her family and so she saw to it a proper photo album was kept.

With the unexpected company over she was excited to show them the photos and share cherished memories, even those some wished were forgotten.

"Now, in a lot of these baby pictures you're going to see a bare butt. Apparently, it was so warm in Hawaii, Banyan had trouble keeping our boy in clothes," Nana Johnson said with mock direness as she snuggled in between Willow and Sayuri on the couch.

"A trait that lives on to this day," Willow quipped.

Kashi groaned from the kitchen at the laughter. Banyan smiled at him as she checked the dishes that had been prepared and stored in the fridge until the ham was done. In the living room, Ken and Kimmy had pulled a couple of chairs close to the couch and hovered near the grandmother figure as she cracked open the album to the first page.

"Oh my, God! Kashi was so cute as a baby! Who is that holding him?" Sayuri asked gleefully. They were looking at a picture of Kashi as a baby, laughing happily while reaching out for whoever was wielding the camera. He was being held by a very pretty woman with teased up blonde hair.

"That's mom. She kept her hair like that 'til I was born," Willow said.

"Oh no, are you talking about the glam rock hair?" Banyan asked.

"Willow's too young to remember that. Mom used to wander around in a cloud of Aquanet and Rave. She was a walking fire hazard," Kashi said happily.

"I thought that was already out of style? This had to be what? '94?" Ken asked.

"It was, but I liked it. I had the glam hair until '99. It just got too hard to keep up," Banyan said sheepishly.

"She used to dance around while cleaning singing into the mop like she was on stage with Lita Ford or Pat Benatar," Kashi said from the kitchen.

"It was Joan Jett! I think I would have gone bonkers when I was fighting with your dad if I didn't have her songs to see me through," Banyan said.

Kashi made a face and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, cause it's not like they're basically the same." He shook his head. "If I never hear, _I Hate Myself for Loving You_ again, it will be too soon," he said laughing at his mother.

Banyan tossed a dish towel at her son as he laughed. "Hey! You were my little drummer. You'd sit there in your high chair and pound on it enthusiastically with the music. You'd babble non-stop and laugh as I'd dance around." She smiled and sighed. "Things were good in Hawaii, I wonder sometimes what would have happened if we didn't move to L.A., but then we'd have never met Nana."

Willow turned the page and pointed at another picture. "Here they are moving in. That's Dad," Willow said, pointing at Jin in the picture. Nana Johnson turned to a picture on the opposite page of Kashi as a toddler. He was clad only in a pair of overalls. He was standing stiff with his hand to his forehead next to a stately looking man dressed in khakis belted at the waist and a button down shirt.

"Who is Kashi's saluting?" Kimmy asked.

"That's my Avery. Handsome devil wasn't he?" Edith said with a warm smile on her face. "He took a shine to Kashi ever since he first saw him. I'll never forget how he'd salute Avery every time he saw him, just like in that picture there."

"Why did he do that?" Ken asked.

"When his daddy first started renting from us, I thought he might be trouble, but Avery was sure he could handle it. Jin had been a Marine, you know, and Avery told me not to worry. He'd spent half his life in the military. He knew how to keep punks like Jin in line. Day one after they moved in he went over there and told that man how it was going to be and what sort of behavior he wasn't going to tolerate. He had that rascal so surprised. Jin was fresh out of the service and reacted to Avery's NCO voice with a crisp salute and a 'Yes sir!' only to have it echoed by that adorable little scamp right there," Edith said pointing to yet another photo of Kashi.

"It's too bad I never got to know Mr. Johnson," Willow said sadly.

Edith smiled and hugged Willow. "He fought hard against the cancer. He knew it was going to be rough as it had gone undetected for so long. Back in '98 they didn't have half of what they have now to help stop it. Avery didn't give up, not one bit. He told me, 'Edith, I ain't never run from a fight and I don't plan to run from this one.' He was good as his word," she said in a stern tone shaking a finger for emphasis at the children. She turned the page in the photo album before continuing.

"When he got feeling bad he'd sit on the porch like in this photo here peeling pears and cutting up peaches while listening to his police scanner. Little Kashi was always there to help empty the bowls into the canning jars. He ate more peaches then he put away of course," Edith said with a twinkle in her eye.

"He died just a few months before Jin got bad," she continued as she flipped a page in the album. She stroked a loving finger along the edge of a photo of a much thinner but no less impeccably dressed image of Avery sitting on their front porch peeling apples and eating them with Kashi. "Jin was alright when he wasn't on the drink, but he was a mean drunk. I was fearful for Banyan and Kashi both. If Avery had just a little more time it would have made all the difference in the world. I think he would have had Jin out of here lickety split and seen that gang of his off too. Then Banyan could have been in peace with no worries," she said sadly. She was silent for a moment then heaved a sigh of someone who had long ago come to terms with a terrible loss but never truly lost the pian. She smiled. "The Lord works His own will, however, and it's not for the likes of Edith Johnson to second guess Him," she said straightening.

A few more pages of photos went by, most of them as Kashi as a very young child. He looked remarkably like he did as an adult. His tan, brown skin was exactly the same and he still had the same blue eyes and bright blonde hair. As Kashi grew older in the photographs, his father began to appear less and less before disappearing all together. There were a few pictures of Banyan and Kashi when she was pregnant, and then the number of pictures began to dwindle dramatically.

"Not as many pictures of Willow as a baby," Kim said.

"I had to sell my camera. It was years before I was able to get another one, so most of Willow's baby pictures were taken by Nana," Banyan explained from the kitchen as she continued to put away dishes.

You look so serious. You were a solemn baby," Ken said with a smile.

"That's before I found the trick to taking Willow's picture," Nana Johnson explained. "The only one that could get that baby to smile was Kashi. She'd sit there looking pensive then he'd act a fool and Willow would just giggle at his antics. That was when I'd snap a quick picture."

"And what do you know, he's just as ridiculous too this day," WIllow said dryly.

The group leafed through pictures of Kashi's school milestones. Then came a string of pictures of Willow starting school. This was followed by pictures of Kashi playing soccer in elementary school. Then, with a turn of the page, came a surprise.

"Who is that?" Ken asked.

He was pointing at a picture of an extremely large and extremely fat boy with familiar messy, spiky blonde hair clad in an ill fitting football jersey. His taut gut, not unlike a beachball, jutted out from under his shirt, which stopped just above his navel. He stood with several other boys, who were obviously on his team, and dwarfed them all.

"That's Kashi. There aren't many pictures of him when he was fat because Nana was away," Willow explained.

"I wasn't fat! I had an early growth spurt and was bulking up for football," Kashi said, attempting to argue from the kitchen while double checking the thoroughly garnished ham.

"Well, you did have a growth spurt, but the only bulk you added was around your middle," Willow shot back.

Ken spoke up again and addressed Mrs. Johnson. "You weren't around?"

"My son Lyndon and his wife Danisha were in a bad car crash. They got caught in a storm. Lyndon lost control on the slick roads. My grandson, Marcus showed back up. He didn't make it to the funeral but he showed up after. He got his inheritance and was dead in a week. He tried to use the money to buy his way out of the trouble he was in. You kids stay away from that gang riff raff. Their kind use you up and throw you away," Nana said sadly.

An awkward silence came over them until Sayuri broke the tension. "That was a big weight gain, Kashi. It had to be bad for you."

"Well, I was still growing, so I don't have like any flabby skin anywhere...not that I would as I wasn't that fat," Kashi said defensively as he put the ham in the oven. He was either in denial or embarrassed. It was hard to tell. "Look, I'll show you," he said as he set the oven and began to roll up his shirt from the kitchen doorway to reveal his smooth and sculpted abdominals.

Willow rolled her eyes. "We've all seen enough of your bare torso to last a lifetime. You don't have to show us," she sighed.

Kashi frowned and put his shirt back down and began wiping everything in the kitchen down.

"Luckily, Nana came back and managed to help me get him on in a diet that stuck. She was also able to take him swimming to help him shed the weight, something I just couldn't do with my work schedule. Then he hit another growth spurt and dropped even more weight, Kashi quit football, took up baseball, and soccer again. It all happened really fast, actually," Banyan said exiting the kitchen to join the others.

"That's when he gave up gluttony to embrace lust. I have this theory that after it's over, you'll be able to organise Kashi's life into seven eras around the seven deadly sins. He's already done Pride, Sloth, Gluttony, and Lust. Just three more to go," Willow said.

"Child, that ain't nothing to joke about," Nana admonished as both she and Sayuri gave Willow disappointed looks.

Kashi came out of the kitchen with a frown on his face. "Well, there's nothing left for me to prepare just yet," he said as he plopped down in a chair opposite the sofa.

"Oh wow you did high dive?" Ken suddenly asked turning attention back to the book. There were more pictures of Kashi at the pool. There were almost as many of him in the water either swimming, diving or surfing as there were soccer and baseball pictures.

"Huh? Oh yeah! I mean that was in the summer. I never joined a team or anything. I never got into team water sports. I like to surf and swim and stuff, but I like the roar of the crowd too much I guess," Kashi admitted.

Ken looked up from the book, beaming. "I joined swim and dive when I didn't make the soccer cut!"

"Oh, cool we'll have to go to a pool sometime. I can show you a thing or two," Kashi beamed back.

Ken got up from the sofa and started chatting with Kashi about both diving and swimming. He seemed more animated now that Kashi came into the room. Willow looked annoyed but became distracted by questions about the pictures.

"Aren't you and Willow friends? You weren't there during any of this?" Sayuri asked Kim.

"Kim and I weren't close until last year," Willow said.

"Yeah. We bonded over a mutual loathing of Grace, a really snotty girl in our class," Kim explained.

"I was selling stuff to raise money for uniforms for dance. Grace started calling me a beggar and loudly claiming I was working on my skills for when I became homeless. She started messing with me on Facebook, even posting mean stuff about the dance troop. Willow was the only person who'd stopped Grace from messing with someone online. I asked her for help and a week latter Grace stopped harassing me online. She is still a bitch in person. I can live with that. I never see her outside of school," Kim said.

"Sounds like Charlene Donovan. Back in my day, we didn't have internet bullies but folks would call their girlfriends who'd tell their girlfriends who'd tell their boyfriends. She was good at playing the rumor vine and she was a mean one," Nana said.

"She picked on you?" Kim asked.

"No. She made the mistake of picking on my little sister, Else. Else was used to being treated differently, but this was different. Now-a-days they'd say she had a learning disability. Back then they said she was slow. She could learn her lessons but had to work hard at it. The girl had just started high school and Charlene took an instant dislike to her. The start of it, as I heard, was Else tired to make friends and Charlene rebuffed her saying she didn't socialize with lack wits. Making the girl cry wasn't enough. She started a rumor mongering, you'd thought she was the whore of Babylon from the rumors flying," Edith said with a hard edge in her voice.

"What did she do?" Willow asked. She'd never heard this story.

"She told me about what was happening. I wasn't any good at rumor mongering. I tried to set people straight but as her sister, my opinions were suspect. It didn't seem I had anyway to stop that girl. So one day I grabbed her and pulled her into the bathroom. I had an old straight razor and told her if she so much as made a sound I'd is cut off her ears," Edith said with a swipe of her hand for emphasis.

Sayuri gasped. "You didn't!"

"I sure did. I grabbed her by the hair of the head and cut her hair 'til she was near bald. I told her every time she saw that in the mirror to remember there was a price to pay for lies told on good folk. She shut right up. She stopped that rumor mongering nonsense. After that, no one had to go through what Else did. Bullies don't realise that, one day, they'll pick on the wrong person. Either someone who will stand up for themselves or someone who has such a person looking out for them. That's the problem with school's now. They take the repercussions away. Bullies got to learn the righteous have teeth. Any strike against the meek might be answered by a lion," Edith said.

"Oh my," Sayuri said her hand going to her mouth.

"Sounds fair to me," Willow said with a shrug.

"I've been bullied before. I got suspended too. I tired to do what they tell you to; curl into a ball, don't strike back and I still got suspended. Zero tolerance. If you're involved, even as a victim, you're guilty. Dad was furious. He told me next time I had better fight back or he'd give me worse when I got home. Luckily, I learned working with dance had made me quick. Next time I was quick enough to get some hits in. After that people didn't pick on me so much," Ken said with a shrug.

"I can't stand bullies. I used to stand up for kids who got picked on. I got suspended a few times for it, but it was always physical bullies. I guess that's why Nana never chewed me out for doing it. Mom sure did though," Kashi said.

"Well, I approved of you helping people, just not getting in trouble doing it," Banyan explained.

Sayuri looked at Banyan "I don't know, Mrs. Johnson. It seems like you escalated things. It could have gone very badly instead."

"I married a marine, child. There is time when you have to escalate things. When fighting on someone else's terms is useless. The hard part in life is knowing when. Now that I'm older and wiser and have time to think and am not in a panic? I can think of many other ways to have stopped that child. Looking back isn't fair, however, I didn't know then what I know now. I don't feel the panic and fear for my sister now that I felt then. I did what I did in the moment and the outcome was good and I have to judge the course to have been right," Nana Johnson said.

The house's land line rang and Banyan moved to the base station to pick up the receiver. Sayuri reflected on Nana Johnson's words. She did believe their was a time and place for punishment. She also deeply believed in mercy and turning the other cheek. She had been in favor of Kashi going to hunt vampires. They had proved their murderous intent. Sayuri could not see herself doing the same, however. She wondered if that was hypocritical. She had been prepared to fight in the defence of Willow and the younger kids in the basement at the Halloween party. That was when the threat was imminent and clear. Sayuri didn't want to be hypocritical but she wondered if she'd have been able to proactively head into a violent situation to save others in the abstract as Kashi had done. She looked up to gaze at him only to find Kashi's attention was riveted to his mother who was still on the phone.

"It's Arjeet. Kashi, talk to him for a second. You know how he likes you. I have to go check something," Banyan said tossing, the wireless unit to her son.

Kashi effortlessly caught the device in one hand and lifted it to his ear. "Hello? Mr. Goya?"

"KASHI! I saw the ball game! You stuck it to those Aztec COCK SUCKERS!" Arjeet Goya's crisp, British accent contrasted greatly with his rough language and exuberance.

Kashi couldn't help but smile. His mom's boss was normally polite and well mannered. He usually was not the sort to swear for emphasis. However, he was also the most enthusiastic soccer fan Kashi had ever seen. He had invited Kashi to come to the hotel and watch games with Arjeet's friends and family. He had even taken him to a pro game once. Not as the son of an employee but, as a fellow lover of the game.

"Yeah it was a hell of a game. I won't be forgetting it," Kashi admitted.

"Oh, your poor knee. Those bastards! They knew what they were doing! You'll show them next time, my boy!" Goya exclaimed.

"Yeah, mom's got me taking it easy so I can heal," Kashi said.

"You do just that! Don't let those arseholes win. They wanted to put you out for good! You show them they can't keep you down, right?" Goya exclaimed

"Nothing keeps me down. You know that," Kashi said, channeling Mr. Goya's enthusiasm.

"That a boy," Goya said.

Banyan came back down stairs she was ending a call on her cellphone. She had a disappointed look on her face.

"What is it, mom?" Willow asked.

"Trouble at work. Arjeet needs someone to cater a party for the hotel. It's a pretty big affair. None of his usual people could do it. Carl took the job when I told him about it. Debbie and Abby both came down with the flu and now Alice was in a wreck and won't be there. With three of Carl's staff down he's saying he can't pull it off unless I come in and help in the kitchen," Banyan explained.

"You hate working in the kitchen because you have to work right with Carl," Kashi said.

"Yes, but I'd put up with him so Arjeet doesn't have to refund the booking. Only..." Banyan said uncomfortably trailing off.

"Only were here because you were supposed to be off," Kim said.

"It's alright, Miss Kimura. You do what you have to. We would have missed the show anyhow if you hadn't offered to help. These things just happen in life," Ken said

"I don't really want to do that. I agreed to take you," Banyan said.

Kashi listened at his own phone then covered the mouthpiece to speak to the room. "Mr. Goya said he'll clock you in on his clock and pay you overtime on top of what Carl pays."

"I wish I could but..." Banyan began.

"Nonsense. We can all work this out. I'll take the children," Nana Johnson said.

"Nana, you don't have to do that," Banyan said.

"No arguments, child. This is an emergency. You're needed and I'm not so old I can't shuttle folks around. I'll warm up the car and we'll leave earlier just to be sure," Nana Johnson said in a tone that would tolerate no argument.

"Alright. I'll go get ready. Kashi you'll have to finish the food by yourself. Don't be a pig and save some for the rest of us when we get back later," Bayan said, rushing up stairs.

"As if anyone could eat all that alone," Ken said with a smile.

"Don't say things like that! Kashi will take it as a challenge," Willow cautioned.

"Willow, child, run up to that computer of yours and print me out directions to this event and back to the Baker house and be quick. Banyan might drive like the devil was on her heels but I'm not about to go gunning my town car around like a show off," Nana Johnson said.

"Yes ma'am!" Willow said, rushing up the stairs.

"Now, children, you pack your stuff up and take it across the street there. Take this key with you and put your things in the trunk. You'll find it plenty big," Nana Johnson said, turning the keys over to Ken.

Ken and Kim hopped up to pack away their things.

A few minutes later they were putting their packs in the trunk of Mrs. Johnson's car. Kim looked about to be sure no one was close by. "Ken, I know you try to keep things on the down low because of your dad, but you need to tell Willow you're gay."

The surprised young man looked surprised. "What? Why?"

"Because she thinks she's your girlfriend and she almost noticed how infatuated you were with her brother," Kim explained.

"I'm two years older than her, even if I liked girls 14 and 12 is a big gap. Not to mention she looks like she could pass for 10. She's skinny and either puberty is going to hit her late or not at all. Let her think what she wants. If she gets pushy, I'll say the age gap was too weird," Ken said.

"No, you don't understand. She's like Sherlock level smart and will see through you. I heard this story when I was looking into getting her to help me. Some girls in 7th grade started hanging out with Willow just so they could oogle Kashi. Willow'd never had friends. She was sort of a teacher's pet. Now, some girls would have sucked it up to keep them as 'friends.' Not her. She figured out what they were doing and stopped hanging out with them. She then, somehow, managed to dig up dirt on everyone of them; shitty things they'd done to each other, things their parents or the school would get mad at them for doing. She found evidence and managed to anonymously get it to where it would do the most damage. They all got it, but the worst was Jennifer. She was held back so she was older than most of us and was the first girl in our school to develop. She might have been 13 but she looked much older. Sort of a reverse of WIllow," Kim said.

"I've seen the sort before," Ken admitted.

"Somehow, Willow managed to hack her computer and copy an entire video chat she did with a 16 year old who was her dad's best friend's son. The video ended up in the hands of both sets of parents. The police got called, the boy's family moved away to avoid criminal charges. Jennifer's parents blamed Inglewood, they claimed it was full of bad influences and moved to the Valley looking for a more wholesome place to live. Now, Jennifer had been the most popular girl at school. Her leaving benefited her best friend and I think you can guess who that was."

"Grace?" Ken ventured.

"Right. Grace had never been part of the 'oggle Kashi' gang but Jennifer was her friend for reals, not just for riding her coattails to more popularity. Grace declared an all out war on Willow, but after the first few weeks had to scale back to a more limited war due to how..." Kim stopped thinking about what she was going to say.

"What?" Ken said having fallen into the story.

"She scaled her war back due to how fucking ruthless Willow is," Kim said cooly.

Ken was visibly surprised. He knew Kim's mother hated profanity and for Kim to drop the F bomb was no small matter.

"You have a secret your dad doesn't know and you don't want him to know. Your mom suspects and helps cover it, but if you want to stay in the closet that's a secret that can be used against you, Ken. If you're honest with her, Willow will gladly keep your secret. She'll even help you keep it. She's super loyal and eager to keep the friends she has which is us and a few people online, I guess, but DO NOT ever give her cause to hate you. EVER," Kim warned.

"Yeah, I think I'll talk with her when we get back from break," Ken said in a worried tone.

Kim nodded to him and waved. "Mrs. Johnson! We're all ready here!"

Edith Johnson crossed the street from the Kimura house armed with car keys and some stapled sheets of paper.

"Ken you take the front seat. I'm designating you our navigator. Take this map and directions Willow printed out. We'll get you where you need to go with time to spare so long as we follow these close. Now get in and buckle up. I don't speed but I don't stand for folks cutting me off either!" Edith said firmly.

"Yes, ma'am," Ken said with a smile. The three of them piled into the car. Nana started the engine and pulled out of the drive.


	3. Chapter 3

Downtown Los Angeles, California

Intersection of 11th and Hope

* * *

Brandon knew the key to getting girls to come back for later hook ups was making the first date memorable. When his current conquest, Kelly, told him there was going to be a secret improv-parade going down, he knew he had to make use of it. The rarity alone would keep it in a girl's mind.

So, he had invited Shaniqua. To Kelly, he'd have been on the wrong end of a the favor curve. He'd be the guy _she_ allowed to come with her; the outsider clued in by his hip girlfriend. Never could a player afford to let the girl have that sort of advantage in a relationship. The power had to stay in your corner or you'd quickly go from player to the played.

Besides, Kelly was getting to hard to play with. Normally, he loved a girl that was a bit more of a challenge, but he was in a time crunch. School was no joke. He had serious plans, unlike his old high school buddies. He was not like Kashi with his pipe dreams of stardom and restaurant ownership. He also liked to think he was more ambitious than Justin who planned to sell cars like his old man. Brandon knew the world was cutting out the lower level jobs fast. Factories were filling with robots, automated checkers were replacing cashiers and self service was doing away with all sorts of jobs. The more machines used the more the people in charge would need men who could repair the machines and that's what he planned to do with an engineering degree.

He didn't want to totally give up the game, however. Once he had realized Kashi had not pulled Sayuri into the game, that in fact she had pulled Kashi _out_ of the game, he had been bummed out. He liked keeping score against kept him sharp. On the other hand, with Kashi out, Brandon had realized he had a good chance to become the best player in all of UCLA. Becoming top ladies man at a major university was a feather in his hat far too nice to pass up.

"Here they come," Shaniqua shouted excitedly, bouncing up and down.

Brandon smiled. Shaniqua might be more than a little ghetto, but she was ghetto in the right places to make that bounce fun to watch. That was the last thought that went through Brandon's head as the first float and the band performing on top it it came into view.

* * *

Cyberspace

* * *

 **Seeker143:** _Holy Shit! Guys, I'm using one of those Sparks Labs Fae Detectors. What it's picking up is completely ENORMOUS. A Wyld charge off the chart. Somthing just started and it's huge!_

 **Keeper975:** _I'm not sure I trust that thing, or this so called warning either._

 **HelRaptor:** _Of course you don't. But as you're a complete moron, nobody cares. What sort of readings what levels are we talking?"_

 **Seeker143:** _Like I said the meters hit max. Every direction I point so I can't get an idea of which way is the center. Hold on I got an idea..._

 **KV718:** _Try backing out till the meter goes down to 70, then getting a clearer read. Don't Sally and Juanita have a couple of those too? What are you two getting?_

 **Stylez:** _I'm at my grandmother's in Oregon. It's not going to be much use._

 **1Nita:** _You might want to try for curiosity's sake. I'm in Tijuana with my great aunt and it's showing a 3% spike when I point it toward L.A._

 **Keeper975:** _This is insane._

 **1Nita:** _Yeah, from this distance a spike like that is pretty loco._

 **Keeper975:** _NO! It's insane that everyone has left town at once!_

 **Stylez:** _Well pardon us for not all having extended family in L.A. like you. Nothing showing from here._

 **Seeker143:** _I found the direction. Using my body as a shield lowered the readings enough to get a direction. As we're resistant to Wyld powers, I thought it might work as insulation._

 **Nurse934:** _Can you get closer? Maybe get a visual on what is doing this?_

 **KV718:** _Not too close! It's just you and Jesus out there!_

 **Keeper975:** _Lucy is here._

 **HelRaptor:** _She's there getting CHEMO, you ass! If you drag my grams out of convalescent care to help you fight you had better HOPE those Fae eat your soul! If not even HELL won't save your ass from me._

 **Keeper975:** _Christ, woman, I'm not going to ask her to fight. I just thought about calling her to give us more eyes._

 **Nurse934:** _She'd try to fight and you know it. I thought about her having a meter earlier but didn't bring it up. If she knew there was trouble, she'd act._

 **Seeker143:** _Don't worry if things get dicy we can call on RisingSun. He'll back us up._

 **Keeper975:** _God, I hate that name. Will you stop using it. It's borderline racist._

 **Seeker143:** _He has a symbol on his forehead that looks like a sunburst! I didn't give it to him! It's why I gave him the name and I can't help that he's half Japanese!_

 **1Nita:** _WHO THE HELL CARES! We want to know what you SEE._

 **Seeker143:** _I'm having trouble figuring that out. It looks like a parade. There is band on a float with some other cars and some dancers. It looks like the whole crowd is following and joining in at the back of the line. New people are being added. Holy God it's the Pied Piper! It's what San Francisco warned us about. They've already enthralled over a thousand!_

 **Nurse934:** _Dear God if it they're drawing power off all those people and only using it to draw more in, soon they'll be unstoppable. They could take control of the whole city._

 **Keeper975:** _I'll go get help. James, keep your eyes on these soul eaters. Once I have Kashi we'll go see if we can't break through the crowd and take these guys down._

 **HelRaptor:** _That's all we have local? Just Jesus, James, and Kashi? God help us all._

* * *

Apartment near the Kimura Home

Inglewood, California

* * *

It was getting close to the date the girl would gain her powers and the long watch would end. To aid in its agents endeavors and in response to the number of odd events that had sprung up so close to the finish line, the Virtual Adepts had sprung for a small apartment that was less than two blocks from the Kimura's house. Ironically, they were renting it from the old woman who acted like a grandmother to the family.

Brad wondered if it was that good of an idea. He, Jesse and Greg had plenty of problems just working together when they only saw each other at shift changes. Spending 12-16 hours in the same house was maddening. Brad was twirling a pen idly in his hand as he leaned back in his chair when the console began to beep. He rolled his eyes and looked up, shock replacing annoyance on his face. "Holy shit. Hey, Jesse, you picking up this Wyld surge?"

"Yeah, it's not headed this way," Jesse said, stubbing out the last of his cigarillo.

"It might still be a threat. We should go down there and put a stop to it. I'll call Greg and wake him up. Between the three of us we should be able to dispel that nonsense and do something about the Fae," Brad said.

"Brad, think. With a disturbance that big there's going to be Techno-goons all over it. Then, if we show up, they'll start wondering why three Tradition Mages they've never seen before are hanging out in the area. Then, they'll start sticking their snoopy noses around here, find the wards on the girl and REALLY start asking questions. No. No way. Not worth it. They'll deal with this. It won't be a problem. The Fae will be assassinated before the six o'clock news," Jesse said, not even bothering to look up.

Brad still looked worried. "What if you're wrong and thousands of people are going to suffer?"

"If you feel that concerned call the Santa Monica Coven. Ask the Verbena to take care of it, but it's on you. I already owe those old hags for helping out last summer. Now I'm getting a nap," Jesse said, leaning back and covering his face with his cowboy hat.

Aggravated, Brad turned to peck at his computer. Perhaps there was something else he could do.

* * *

Kimura Home

Inglewood, California

* * *

Willow had gone upstairs to find her earbuds. She was now reading a book on the sofa. These activities kept her mind distracted from the saccharine sweet view of Kashi trying to show Sayuri how to frost a cake. Apparently it involved him standing behind her with his arms wrapped around her waist so he could 'guide' her hands.

The music didn't drown out the knock on the door. Willow set her book down and took out the earbuds as she hopped up to see who it was.

"WILLOW! Get the door," Kashi yelled.

"Keep you pants on, I am," she shouted back.

Willow kicked a small step stool into place that she had used for years so she could see through the door's peephole. Being short had distinct disadvantages. As she peered out she recognized the hispanic man standing on the stoop.

Willow turned her head toward the kitchen. "It's Jesus! Should I let him in?"

"I- I guess we have enough ham. Sure, let him in," Kashi said.

"Kashi! I really doubt he's here for your stupid ham," Willow said, jumping down and artfully kicking the stepstool out of the way as she unlocked the door.

"Stupid! You dare call my ham stupid! You better watch it, Willow, or next thing you know you'll be criticising the Turkey and I won't have blasphemy like that on such a holy day," Kashi said indignantly. He had untangled himself from Sayuri and was standing in the kitchen doorway.

"IT'S NOT A RELIGIOUS HOLIDAY," Willow shouted, rekindling a long standing argument.

"It's a day of thanks and who would we be giving thanks to but Mother Nature or God or whoever you think is out there, so it's a religious holiday," Kashi countered.

"It is a secular holiday! It was started by Abraham Lincoln," Willow cried while opening the door.

"...who died for our sins," Kashi said solemnly.

"HE DID NOT," Willow shouted.

"Slavery is a SIN, Willow," Kashi said, folding his arms defiantly.

Willow balled her fists. "That...IS...NOT...what we are arguing about."

"Well, you could've fooled me," Kashi said, leaning back into the kitchen to give Sayuri a wink. He then whispered to his girlfriend. "Cute how wound up she gets, isn't' it?"

Sayuri pushed past Kashi and came out of the kitchen. She didn't know whether to feel amusement or dismay. Listening to the two siblings go around each other like Abbott and Costello was certainly amusing, but it did nothing to help her bridge mending work.

"What the hell is going on?" Jesus asked in a tone of utter bafflement, having missed the beginning of the conversation.

"Just Kashi acting obtuse to push Willow into fits," Sayuri said in a resigned tone.

Jesus cleared his throat. "Oh...okay, well, look, we need some help, man. We are in a real shit storm this time..."

"Oh no! I don't think so! I helped you guys in San Diego and you said you'd help me figure out what I am. Your 'awesome' help was that you'd sneak me out to M.S.I. for a check up. If I wanted to walk into a lab and get poked and prodded I'd sign myself up as labrat. I don't' need any help from you to do that," Kashi interrupted.

"Hey, they're the ones who'd know the most about what you're going through. And if you want to learn the most you can about your powers, they are the ones with the answers. I'm not exactly thrilled about it myself," Jesus replied defensively.

"What is it you need Kashi to help you with?" Sayuri asked.

"Right, well, before those nutjobs James calls 'the Seven' moved off to New Orleans, they used to poke their noses into local supernaturals' business. They'd try to do them favors so they could loop them into helping their agenda," Jesus said.

"Like you're trying to do to Kashi," Willow said dryly.

"Hush you," Kashi said without even thinking but he immediately grimaced and looked at Sayuri who was frowning at him. He cocked an eyebrow at Willow. "It isn't like you don't use me to get things off the top shelf. Or even the middle shelf."

Jesus continued. "Most of the time, the favors they did made the monsters more dangerous, more unified. Well, the werewolf, Alex Silbern, helped this powerful Changeling reach the magic fairy homeworld. It was mostly dead but there was this wellspring of power in the center. She sucked up enough to make herself stronger. See, Changelings are Fairies, or Fae souls that have taken over a human. Eventually the fairy can lose power and that puts the human back in charge. When that happens, the human soul blocks out all the terrible memories of the stuff the Fae did. Just having a human bounded to them makes them weak. She overcame that and declared herself Empress of the Fae."

Sayuri coughed. The thought of some inhuman _thing_ leeching off the souls of people almost turned Kashi's brain off. He had subconsciously clenched his fist in disgust. However, he and Sayuri had spent a month talking about his life now, and not just his life, but his attitude toward things he might not immediately understand.

They had discussed, together and when no one else was around, what had happened on Halloween, Kashi's career options and their relationship as a whole. Kashi explained the way he felt about Sayuri and that he took his commitment to her very seriously. She, in turn, told him that he didn't have to _act_ like a hero and put up a front because he was already her hero.

He knew that when he was with her, he could let his guard down and talk honestly about his hopes and fears. One of the many things they discussed was Jesus' bigotry toward anything supernatural. When Sayuri asked Kashi how he would have felt if Jesus had tried to set him on fire when he exalted because of his power, it made him stop and rethink everything he thought he knew. And now, every conversation they had over the past month was put into a single cough. And an automatic glance her way had Kashi unclenching his fist and putting on his best grin. It didn't fool anyone.

"You know, maybe someone else should be giving me all this. I'm not the brightest stick of paint in the jar, but i'm pretty sure we're asking the KKK to tell us black history," Kashi said.

"I'm TRYING okay! They ate my sister! I hate them! I hate them all," Jesus shouted momentarily losing himself.

"We really should call James," Sayuri said in a soothing voice.

Kashi nodded. "That's a good idea!".

"Got him. I'll put it on speakerphone," Willow said.

Kashi looked like he was going to say something but stopped and glanced at Sayuri's expectant face. "Yeah. Thanks, squirt," he said reluctantly.

James hadn't picked up yet but on the second ring his voice came over the line. "Willow?"

"Yeah, you're on speaker. Jesus was telling us a story but we got tired of trying to see the truth around his hate so we called you. Can you explain to Kashi, Sayuri, and me what is going on downtown?" Willow asked.

"Oh, yeah, sure. Umm, let's see. Apparently a rogue group of Changelings has tapped some sort of elder magic," James began. "Now they have this parade going on that is..."

"Whoa, whoa, back up to the story, James," Kashi interrupted. "The part about tapping magic. That's why we called."

There was a pause. It was as if James was collecting his thoughts before he began again.

"Well, back in 2005, the local Fae, the Changelings, came to Alex Silbern of the Seven for help. Please don't ask me why or how. I don't have the details. I only know they found their old homeland of Arcadia destroyed, but there was a fountain of wyld energy in the center. Think of it as a kind of pure, unformed chaos. From that, one of them in particular was able to learn there is a older home of the Fae; a pure wyld, like the fountain, but beyond where the laws of reality break down completely. The Fae, even before they became symbionts bonded to human souls, are not creatures of the that pure chaos. They need _some_ laws of reality to survive because they are as alien to that Chaos as they are to us. In other words, as the Changelings are fae that are bonded to human souls, that level of Wyld energy is dangerous to them."

"Wish we could bottle the stuff and shoot them with it," Jesus spat.

"Of course you do," Willow said. "I guess it's good those hobgoblins killed your sister instead of bonding with her so you wouldn't have to kill her yourself in your murderous zealotry."

Kashi gave a low whistle. That was a low blow from Willow. To his credit, Jesus looked genuinely conflicted; as if he had never had given it any thought.

Kashi, however, was like Jesus in one respect; he didn't care one bit for his sister being tied up in all of this. He wanted to keep her far out of harm's way. But he and Sayuri had talked about that, too. She was growing up and was very mature for her age. Kashi wasn't going to be around to coddle her because he was going to be busy with college.

Sayuri argued that he was going to have to let Willow be Willow. Her argument hadn't made much headway until Sayuri pointed out that he was hurting Willow. The idea that he was hurting his little sister, at first, appealed to him. After all, she had hurt him on countless occasions and payback is a sweet thing. But the more he thought about it, the more it made him into an asshole. And if there was something Kashi couldn't stand, it was being the bad guy - even to his sister.

Sayuri had her hand to her mouth. This tangent was going to go no where in a hurry if James didn't get started talking again before Jesus recovered. "Why don't you go on, James. What happened next?"

James cleared his throat though his first word was still a bit squeaky. "Anyway, this Changeling girl, the one that found the fountain. came up with a plan. She risked all she was to dive into that storm of power at the center of Arcadia. She forced herself to embrace its power to change but hold on to a purpose. That purpose was to find a way to survive as a Changeling and to come back with a path to show her people that would lead to their continued existence rather than extinction," James continued.

"But after she came back, another faction rose up. Rather than just survive they wanted to use the danger of the forces of Pure Chaos as a path to power. They'd use it to level their enemies first then turn it on the encroaching Chaos and the beings within. They see a world that hates them and they would rather burn it and try for something new rather than fight for what everyone already has."

"That's horrible!" Sayuri said with a gasp.

"It's understandable," Willow said with a straight face.

Kashi looked at her as if she had spontaneously grown a fish head. "Understandable! Willow, just how is that understandable?" he asked, dumbstruck.

Willow rolled her eyes. "Kashi, a few minutes ago you were ready to go beat them all down because someone told you exactly what you needed to hear to do so. Jesus over there is ready to exterminate them if he only had the power because a few creatures like them killed his sister. It's mob mentality: people fear what they don't understand." She cut her eyes directly to Sayuri before looking away. A slow flush of anger crept up her neck to her cheeks. "When people are afraid, they pick on what they don't understand. They make fun of it. They ostracize it. Sometimes, they kill it. It's been that way for all of human history. The mob fears what it doesn't understand. The only way for it to stop is to make the mob _fear_ you. Make it so they don't dare touch you because of what you will do to them."

She looked back accusingly at Kashi. "Isn't that what you do? Aren't you are the big hero? Aren't you the threat to bullies to make them stop? Aren't you the power to burn their world?"

"It's not the same thing," Kashi scoffed.

Willow turned to retort, but before she could. Sayuri came over wrapping Willow in a hug. Sayuri knew Willow was talking about herself, her friends, her experiences. Sayuri had seen through the veil and saw the terror Willow lived with and the terror she could be. Sayuri hated a world that could do that to someone. She hated a world where heroes like Kashi were needed, a world where victims like Willow couldn't tell the difference between the heroes and villains.

Kashi and Jesus just looked uncomfortably at each other. Not being able to see anything happening in the room, James pressed on.

"Anyway, the faction that wants to embrace chaos has stolen the lessons of magic the Empress teaches and used them to build a weapon. It's a test to see how easy it would be to master the world. Fae power works by drawing on emotions and stories, the things we as humans _believe_ are true. They can make true the monsters that can outrun you because that's what it does in your nightmares, the girl ends up with the guy because it makes a better ending, Dane Cook is actually funny, you get the idea. Their weapon is a musical band on parade. It's like the Pied Piper. It draws in crowds with enjoyment and leaves them wanting more. It's like a drug. Those affected are chasing the high all the while their desire for it is a battery feeding the band on the float. It's a feedback loop. The desire widens the range for their seductive music drawing in more people giving more power. It's getting out of control already," James said

"Whoa! The more minds they control the more they can control? That's like a crazy spiral," Kashi exclaimed.

"That would be extremely dangerous," Sayuri said worriedly as she unwound from Willow.

"I'm not sure this 'Empress' is innocent but, yeah, that's the cuddly gist, Kashi. We need a heavy hitter to charge up there, beat those guys down so they stop playing and the magic ends. We Hunters are immune to it, and we're pretty sure you're at least resistant to it. If I had a decent sniper, I'd take them out from a range, but I'm not good at that kind of shooting, and, well, you know, James sucks at it. Everyone else decided to leave town for the holiday," Jesus said.

"Everyone?" Kashi asked.

"Just the sort of thing Doc Spectre wanted to stop. In New Orleans they have a message board with a rotation set for who can leave town at the same time. Barring emergencies and that sort of stuff, they treat being a Hunter like being a firefighter. It's just common sense, I think," James said.

"Then why don't you go live there?" Jesus barked.

"Because, I live in Anaheim where my folks lived and died. I defend L.A. which my brother died to protect! You know, I seem to recall how an hour ago you were lamenting how disorganized we were and how everyone was out of town at once, so what happened to that?" James asked.

"Jesus doesn't hate the ideas of organization, he just hates that they came from this Doc Spectre who, I am assuming, has no trouble with the 'benign' supernatural. He has trouble separating his hate for the messenger from the message," Sayuri explained.

"Little girl, if I wanted therapy I'd be listening to a paid shrink not an amature. You can turn off your beam into my soul now. It may work on the kids, but not me. Knock it off," Jesus said, with a glare.

"Hey, hey look at me. Look over her at me, Jesus." Kashi said pulling Jesus attention to him. "If you want my help you REALLY better watch your tone with her," Kashi said menacingly.

Looking into Kashi's blue eyes, Jesus saw something that made him nervous. A glint of something he couldn't put his finger on. It was something old and something very dangerous. "I'm sorry. I just don't like people analyzing me. Could you please not do that?" Jesus asked, turning to Sayuri.

"I'm sorry I... I was just trying to help Kashi through everything he's been going through. All I'm going to say on this is I think maybe you should get some help, Jesus. Even if you can't tell them everything, maybe you should talk to someone. I don't think you know the weight you're carrying around. I think you'd be surprised if you did," Sayuri said sadly.

"Hey, not to break up the daily affirmations over there, but...umm...this is only getting worse, Kashi. We need your help," James said.

"Yeah, I get that. Hold on, James, the cavalry is coming, buddy. Come on, Jesus, let's go stop some bad guys," Kashi said, psyching himself up. He then looked directly at his little sister. "Willow…"

"...pull the food when the timers go off," Willow said, finishing Kashi's sentence.

Kashi looked slightly dumbstruck. He then recovered and smiled. "Huh, yeah...umm...baste the turkey now and again in about twenty minutes, then pull it out. If we're not back let it rest and cool some before serving. Even you can't mess that up."

He then turned to Sayuri. "She's not a good cook, but she's good at following directions. She gets too caught up in the details to see it's an art. She's got no flare. She can look at a pantry and give you fifteen different dishes you can make from what's in there, but it's all by the book. You know how her memory works," Kashi explained.

"I know you don't want to go. I'll be fine. The food will be fine. You worry about keeping yourself fine, okay?" Sayuri said, wrapping her hands on Kashi's shoulders and giving him a peck on the lips.

"Oh, I will. I just have to remember if I'm not okay, I'll make you sad. We can't have that," Kashi said with a smile and he kissed his girlfriend again.

"Oh for the love of my pancreas can you stop with all that sweetness," Willow said with grimace.

"I'll be back soon, squirt," Kashi said, ruffling his sister's hair in a way he knew she found aggravating.

With that the duo headed out toward downtown.

* * *

The Sparks Laboratory for Unconventional Sciences and Self Directed Research

New Orleans Branch

(SLUSSD-NOB)

* * *

Nikki turned on the video chat and smiled into her computer's camera. "BRAD! How've you been? Still living of cold pizza, stolen beer and college kid's fear of failure?"

"Good to see you too, Nik, you still selling drugs and helping vampires steal blood from hospitals worldwide?" Brad fired back.

Nikki laughed. "Same old Brad, I guess. You're still doing cloak and dagger stuff out in L.A. I take it. Is this a social call or do you need some help with your mystery project?"

"No, more something I ran across while doing my 'cloak and dagger' stuff, but can't deal with because I'm tied up. Some Fae are up to something. There's some outright loopy levels of reality bending out here and I can't personally go put a halt to it. I thought you might still have some local contacts," Brad said.

"A bit thin on the ground on day shift, but if it can wait 'til night. There's plenty who owe us favors. Unless it's big enough to justify calling Kai's bunch in up at M.S.I.," Nikki said.

"Sending you the data. It's bad, but not horrid...yet. But, it could get that way fast if it's left alone. I'm worried nightfall might be a bit late," Brad said while uploading his readings.

Nikki looked over the readings. She thought for a moment. "Yes, given the growth rate I see here, yeah, that could get nasty. The Techno's are likely to get it before too much longer. They notice things like that. Still, doesn't hurt to have a backup plan just in case. Yeah, I'll make some calls. In fact, here, take these codes. The L.A. lab is still up and running save for my private space in there. I might have something useful if you need a defense. Heck, if you have time maybe you could check out the lab and make use of its gear. I'm not doing anything with it."

"That... that's too much, Nik. That place is your baby," Brad said, shocked at the offer.

"Hey, who better to look after my baby; a stranger or an old friend? As long as you've been out there, they can't be monopolizing you 24/7. Go play. Have fun, just keep a record for me. Perhaps I'll learn something."

"I don't know what to say. Thanks, I guess," Brad said in awe at her generosity.

"No Prob! Off to make phone calls," Nikki said logging out.

Nikki pulled out her phone and thought about who to call. The Tremere would be good if the Fae lasted to nightfall. Jesus' pack of idiots were either failing to deal with it or chasing their own tails. Like lightning, inspiration struck the Etherite. She looked up the number for Lucy. That old fox was clever. Perhaps she could deal with this.


	4. Chapter 4

Offices of Panzersoft

San Jose, California

* * *

Tonya Knox hated the cover identity Senior Director Claus Rayner had thrust upon her. John Dugan, his previous deputy, kept a rotation of choice roles in the government sector. The Old Man had made her his _secretary_. She was in line to be a Director herself, yet here she was forced to do minor errands. She wasn't stupid. She knew that this not only kept her close and under thumb, but also was meant to be insulting and demeaning.

She walked into Rayner's office and stood, waiting for him to acknowledge her presence as he worked on his computer. He continued working, ignoring her, another favorite game of his. Exasperated at being ignored she gave a little cough.

"If you have a respiratory problem, feel free to take some time off, Tonya, we can get along quite fine without you, I assure you," Rayner replied dryly, not even bothering to look up.

"No, sir, I came with news," Tonya began.

"About the mercenary team I sent to Canada? What is their current position?" Rayner asked as he continued to stare at his screen only verbally acknowledging her.

"No, _sir,_ I have other news. There is a highly visible deviance outbreak in Los Angeles. Due to the visibility and containment issues it requires a Director's clearance to proceed with containment. I've sent the details to your device," Tonya said.

"Well, I better take a look," Rayner said picking up his pad from the corner of the desk. "That doesn't answer the question of how my mercenary force is doing. What is their current situation?" Rayner asked while pulling up the data Knox had sent him.

"I don't know, sir, this is the only priority that has come though, so I don't think anything interesting has occurred," Tonya said in a dismissive tone.

"Your job isn't to keep track of what you think is interesting, Miss Knox," Rayner said finally looking up at her. "Your job, your only purpose in this organization is to keep track of what I think is interesting. If you can't fulfill that purpose, I will dispense with you and find someone who will be attentive to their duties."

"Yes, _sir_ ," Tonya said, struggling not to grind her teeth in frustration. It was irritating to be talked down to like a child. Still, this was her part to play, and the old man was currently head of the costume department in this little show.

Rayner flicked his wrist and the pad projected a 3D hologram of the area under watch. Already, sniper teams were moving on the tops of the skyscrapers of downtown L.A. The hologram also displayed the weapons they were armed with and a potential cover story. The weapons they had brought would generate an incendiary effect at the site of the target. With a little work and some planted evidence, it would appear the group causing this Wyld surge had faulty pyrotechnic effects installed. Something which had caused more than a few musicians injury in the past. A ready made and believable cause of death. As they were watching, however, two men stormed into the crowd causing some sort of disruption.

Claus taped his pad and spoke into it. "Hold the attack. I want to see how this goes," he said communicating directly with the men in the field. He placed his elbows on his desk and leaned forward to get a better look at the minute drama before him.

Tonya was surprised but stood mute while the altercation unfolded.

* * *

At the Parade

* * *

Five band members were busy pumping out modernized remixes of various metal classics as Jesus strode along, muscling enchanted people out of the way and making a path for Kashi who focused on the Float and Band. Kashi was concerned. The people appeared to be in a manic, drugged induced state. They were so fixated on the band that they would not turn their eyes away to start a fight, contrary to the stereotypical genre of "concert" on display. At being shoved out of the way, most simply muttered a few insults and protested, all of which was quickly forgotten the moment Jesus and Kashi were past and no longer jostling them.

"This is creepy as shit," Kashi said.

"Yeah, mind warping power are the worst," Jesus agreed. While the float had been active for some time, its slow speed down the street had yet to pick up a more than a couple hundred at most. The heat from the bodies was, as of yet, not unbearable, and they soon found themselves about ten yards from the mobile stage when the band took note of them.

The lead singer leaned forward to get a look at those causing the disturbance. The band seemed to be following in the tradition of masked performers like _Slipknot_ and _Gwar_ , complete with elaborate costumes. He paused singing to yell over the discordant music. "What the shit is this?"

"Your worst nightmare, pal! Your shitty music magic doesn't work on me and I'm here to shut you down," Kashi yelled back.

A murmur reverberated through the crowd. Kashi ran forward but arms started grabbing him. The lead singer laughed, yelling into the microphone. "This asshole is trying to end the show. He's trying to stop your FUN!"

The murmur deepened and the crowd grew more desperate. What had initially been a few hands on his arms and clothes became dozens clinging to Kashi's legs and arms. Kashi started shoving and bowling people over but the crowd grew increasingly maddened as he slowly advanced single steps at a time. They began to dogpile on top of him, grabbing anything they could, even each other, to stop the young Solar. The press of the bodies was smothering. The Dawn Caste responded by channeling his power to increase his strength, which, in turn, caused the sunburst sigil on his brow to appear and a light glow to envelop him.

"Oh, big man, hiding behind a crowd! I'll fight you all five at once! I don't care," Kashi shouted as he struggled to shoulder his way forward.

The lead singer had crouched down at the edge of the stage. He was watching Kashi as he tried to advance. The Fae had his right hand, which held his microphone, resting over his left knee. He wore a mocking expression. "Nah, that's okay, we'll have to pass," he said.

Kashi blinked and gritted his teeth as more and more people began to bar his path. "What?! Are you too scared to face me man to man?" Kashi said, his anima brightening with his efforts to make his way forward.

"That's right," the lead singer said.

"Wait, what?" Kashi asked momentarily shocked into a standstill.

"Yeah, you'd just kill us if you got up here. We're not idiots. I don't know what you are, but you're fucking dangerous. I can smell it on you," the guitarist said.

"If you don't face me, you're cowards!" Kashi spat in frustration.

"Damn straight we are. You're obviously powerful and confident to try to take on all of us at once. Not to mention that glow you got glowing there. It's suspiciously like a Manifested...but different. We wouldn't want to tangle with a Manifested, not even with a normal one. Nah, I think we'll pass and let the crowd do you in for us. Even if you kill the few hundred we have here, we can get a thousand or more. There's plenty to take their place in the next few blocks."

Kashi was mentally stunned. This was not how this was supposed to go. Bad guys were supposed to have pride, ego. They needed to keep up their rep and street cred, not pussy out when called on their bull. Kashi was sure if they did that, their followers would break and realize they weren't worth following. He looked around wildly to see if the crowd was responding to this admission. He looked to see if their leaders cowardice and careless disregard for them had registered. The same worshipful gazes filled their eyes. These weren't normal followers of a leader. These were thralls. Those close at hand looked fearfully at Kashi, but were still determined to stop him from advancing.

The drummer didn't stop the beat but called out to the others, "I'll bet you five souls he kills fifty before they wear him down."

"Seventy five," the keyboardist shouted

"One-ten," called out the bass player

"Nah, two-fifteen," the guitarist said. "Plus a few on the next block"

"None. He's gonna run like a little bitch. He's not ready to kill anyone," the lead singer mocked.

Kashi snarled in fury. His anima flared again and those closest to him actually took a step back. The unnatural fear effect of his terrifying aura shook them from their stupor, but they found themselves unable to retreat further, instead they were pushed forward by others. The crowd scrambled over each other and people found themselves crushed and trampled. They called for help, but no one heeded their pleas. Jesus fired his gun at the stage but the band ducked away. A shimmering energy formed like a heat haze to protect them, stopping the bullet as they picked up the tempo of their music. The band threw their heads back, laughing and the singer took up the next verse.

Kashi grabbed Jesus' arm and made a mad scramble backwards. While resolute in not allowing Kashi to press forward, some in the crowd blinked in confusion. They had not been ordered to pursue him and the aura of menace about him did much to dissuade them from following.

"We almost had them," Jesus cried out in anger.

"If we pressed on, even if we didn't kill anyone, a lot of people would get hurt. Some might have already been hurt or even killed with how they were piling up over each other," Kashi said as he retreated from the parade into the now deserted streets of downtown Los Angeles. It was the first time that Kashi had really noticed that people had simply abandoned their cars. The street was littered with stopped vehicles.

"What now?" Jesus shouted.

"I don't know. When your game plan is not working you come up with another plan and find another way," Kashi stated

"Like what?" Jesus asked.

"IF I KNEW THAT I WOULDN'T BE GOING THIS WAY!" Kashi snapped.

Jesus felt the brush of Kashi's anima and decided not to push the soccer star. He hoped they could come up with something.

* * *

Offices of Panzersoft

San Jose, California

* * *

"Well that was weird. Some sort of unknown Manifested or perhaps an abnormally colored variation on the known types?" Tanya asked.

"Quite odd indeed," Claus said distractedly. He was lost in thought.

"Well, then, should our own operation continue?" Tonya asked again.

"No. I want to see how this plays out," Claus said his voice distant.

"He fled," Tonya said matter-of-factly.

"A tactical retreat. He's regrouping. That boy won't back down from someone challenging his power and mocking his authority. It's not in his nature. It's not in his blood," Claus said.

"Excuse me, sir?" Tonya asked, growing more confused by the second.

"Yes," Claus said simply.

"I said, excuse me as in I didn't understand your statement," Tonya explained.

"And I said yes, you are excused, as in you can get out," Claus replied, standing for the first time and then gesturing toward the door.

Tonya opened her mouth too say more but seeing the dismissiveness in Rayner's eyes she decided against doing so. She hurried out, closing the door behind her. Perhaps the Old Man had finally given her something she could report back to Autochthon for her true masters.

Claus returned to his seat, and activated his own privacy protections on his pad and made a call. A voice answered on his device. "Facility Manager Dugen here."

Claus swiveled in his chair to look out the glass window. He looked up at the crisp, fall sun in the cloudless sky. "John, we have a situation and a complication here. I need two favors of you. One, pull the records on Kashi Kimura from the hard files and send it to me by secure means," Claus instructed.

"Simple enough and second?" John asked.

"The council's spy is getting to be a problem. She saw something she didn't need to see today. I need a plan to deal with her. Any suggestions?" Claus asked.

"Well, killing her would just raise too many questions. Memory wipes are too detectable. You still have that Black Ops mission running in Canada? That would be a good cover. You could send her to supervise and have your mercs arrange an accident," John suggested.

Claus thought for a moment. "That does have potential. I'd like to find a way to keep her, though. Better the spy you know than a new one you don't. Keep thinking on it while you pull that file, we'll see if we can come up with anything else in the meantime."

* * *

Kimura Home

Inglewood, California

* * *

Willow had returned to reading her book but had foregone the headphones as she laid on the couch with her head on the armrest. Sayuri was seated in an armchair as she flipped through the limited channels Banyan had on her cheap cable package. She was honest enough with herself to admit she was worried about Kashi out chasing danger. She knew the T.V. was just an excuse to find something to keep her mind off of the situation. Finding nothing that could hold her interest and thus divert her attention, she started wondering what Willow was reading.

"What are you working on Willow?" Sayuri asked.

"Research for music class I have to build up stamina. The director says I can't stay in choir if I can't keep up with the physical demands it entails," Willow explained.

Sayuri nodded. "You know Kashi could probably help you with that. I'm sure he knows all sorts of endurance building exercises."

"I don't want to listen to him complaining about how much of his time I take up or the trouble I cause him," Willow said.

"Willow, are you sure you're not projecting from things he did years ago? No one exists in a state of stasis. People change. I'm sure Kashi would be glad to help you," Sayuri said.

"I seemed to recall his attitude last month when he said the vampire problem which he and James caused was all my fault, but sure, whatever, I'll ask," Willow snapped.

"No, don't bother," Sayuri said with a sigh. "You're in no mood to ask nicely, so you'll do it in an offensive way, that will put him in a bad mood and he'll reject you. That way you can confirm your original view by sabotaging your own efforts at change," Sayuri said with a hint of sternness in her voice.

Willow rolled her eyes. "Ugh! I haven't had conversations this frustrating since mom took me to the temple. Are you sure you're Catholic and not Buddhist?"

"I'm definitely Catholic, but being compared to a Buddhist monk is not at all insulting. When did you go? For that matter, why did you go?" Sayuri asked, trying to change the subject.

"I was seven and started to wonder about spirituality. I mean all the default holidays in the U.S. are vaguely Christian and Nana always talks about Jesus. So, I asked mom about what she believed and she dusted off the shrine over there." She pointed to a clean but small and disused shrine. "Then, she explained, as best she could, about Buddhism, but admitted she hadn't been in years and could be considered, at best, a lapsed Buddhist. So, the next week we took a trip to the temple. I spent the better part of the day arguing with monks about the nature of human existence and came home. Mom took me back twice but I pretty much had decided it wasn't for me on the first trip and she dropped it," Willow explained.

"What exactly did you argue about?" Sayuri asked, trying to visualise a very somber seven year old daring to not only question but argue with a calm, unflappable monk.

"The tenets of Buddhism revolve around extinguishing desire and attachment, freeing oneself of passion and ties to the world. If I care for a cup one day the cup will break and I will be sad that the cup is no more. So I should mildly appreciate the cup knowing it like all things is impermanent and will pass. I should do the same with all things dispelling illusions accepting what is not pining for what I desire to be I should be a placid lake not a stormy ocean." Willow explained.

"I'm no expert but that sounds like a vague summation in some very broad strokes yes." Sayuri admitted.

"Utter bullshit," Willow said.

"How so?" Sayuri asked, genuinely curious.

"If I hold a cup and I don't care about that cup, it's part of the vague meaningless background. It's attachment to things that gives life its meaning and our passion about things that define who we are. If we are passionate about nothing we might as well be nothing. No great person ever lacked passion. Even the Buddhist saints don't make the ascent to nirvana because of their devotion to helping others. Their own beliefs holds that one has to stray from their teachings to do great things and promote their wisdom. So, love the cup when it's here. When it's gone, find another cup. If you hurt because everything that you have has been taken from you, at least you have that pain to remember it by. Don't be the lake. It's boring and pointless. No one is going to remember a lake. Be the storm. At least the storm is memorable," Willow said.

"Is that what you told them? What did they say?" Sayuri asked, a bit surprised.

"That I was only hurting myself and until I realized that, there was no point in continuing to argue," she said with a shrug. "They said they were sad for me for I was destined for a life of pain. I told them that it was better to have a life of pain than no life at all, which is what they had."

"I think I see why you stopped going to the temple. Did you ever go to church with Nana Johnson?" Sayuri asked, trying to lighten the tone

"Nah, I couldn't bring myself to see eye to eye with happy, forgive anything Jesus," Willow quipped

"Ever think of trying Catholicism? We have guilt trip Jesus," Sayuri offered.

"Does anyone have passive-aggressive Jesus?" Willow asked.

"Not sure, but I've meet some sarcastic Rabbis before," Sayuri said.

"Nah. They just have tyrannical dictator God. I've never looked into Hinduism though," Willow said with mock seriousness.

They both chuckled when a knock at the door interrupted their conversation. Sayuri rose to see who was there.

"I'll think about taking to Kashi. I don't know, maybe he'll help without being too big of a pain," Willow admitted.

"I keep telling you people change, Willow," Sayuri said.

"Not at their core. But you have been a good influence on him and that's pretty impressive," Willow admitted with reluctance.

Sayuri looked through the peephole and then back at Willow with confusion. "It's Lucy."

"I thought Jesus said everyone was out of town?" Willow asked.

Sayuri opened the door and a very weary Lucy entered and looked around.

"The boys aren't back yet?" She asked.

Willow put down her book and sat up. "No. Do you know anything?"

"Lucy, I hate to say this, but you look terrible. Are you sure you should be up and about?" Sayuri asked.

"It's been a hard month. I might be tired and I might not be able to fight, but I can at least help the boys plan and try to keep them from getting into worse trouble. As for Willow's question, I talked to James on the phone. He said they are all coming back here. The mission was a wash. The fae tossed the crowd at Kashi and he wasn't about to hurt brainwashed people to get to them," Lucy explained.

"Oh no. That's terrible," Sayuri said, worry creeping into her voice. "That means their power will keep growing."

"It also means Kashi's lost the element of surprise," Lucy said gravely.

"Maybe he should have gone ahead. I mean, he might hurt or kill some now but waiting is just going to put more under their spell isn't it? That's like handing them more hostages," Willow said.

Sayuri looked at Willow in horror, but Lucy gave a sad nod. "Only time will tell. We've lost the element of surprise but if we come up with a better plan he did the right thing. If not, he gambled with future lives and lost. I learned far too long ago it's best not to second guess what is done by anyone, including yourself, in the field. We weren't there and didn't see what Kashi saw and his tactical instincts are pretty good from everything I've seen and heard. His main mistake was not scouting the area himself. I expect as much from Jesus and James but Kashi should have known better than to rely on their shotty intel.

Lucy excused herself and sat down on the couch with a slight grunt. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes sighing deeply. "We still don't know what Kashi can do. Sometimes even he only figures out his powers when he's put in a place where he has to use them. Scouting with his own eyes might have revealed something but that is more on James and Jesus then Kashi... mostly Jesus. He should know better. He thinks of Kashi more as a weapon than a person with his own opinions and it shows. His error in simply pointing Kashi at this problem is proof enough of that," she said sadly.

The sound of a car pulling up sent Sayuri to the door again. She opened it letting James inside but continued to stand by the door. "I see Jesus truck. It's spray painted with a Turkey on it, spread out like a Firebird logo. I can't read the slogan, however."

" _Give thanks and send in the tanks_ ," James said. "The sides have turkey infantry storming a defensive line that tanks are breaking for them. His uncle Rod was inspired by the story of what happened on Halloween. So he mixed it in with the Thanksgiving theme. Eccentric guy, but he sure is helpful. He's the one that hooked me up with the Accord. Nice car. Glad to have it really. My Fiesta was on it's last legs even before the vampires used it for a target."

"Rod, like Hotrod?" Willow asked.

"Don't know. He works on cars, so maybe. His name is Rodriguez, but might be both," James explained.

"You were the target, not your car. It just got in the way," Lucy said dryly. "What's an old lady gotta do to get a glass of water around here?"

"Oh gosh, I'm so sorry, Lucy. Do you want anything, James?" Sayuri asked

James shook his head and Willow, taking her cues from Sayuri, quickly ran into the kitchen.

The door flew open and the Soccer Star and the Hunter both walked in, both wearing expressions of defeat. Jesus sighed and rolled his eyes at Lucy before he sat down.

"You're going to have to tell that granddaughter of yours I didn't call you. That _maldecido_ has already threatened to cut my balls off if I called you," Jesus said

"No, she didn't. She's pretty consistent about maintaining you don't _have any balls_. She threatened to cut your soul into pieces and hand feed you to Satan," Lucy explained.

Jesus rubbed the bridge of his nose "That woman..."

"I already talked to her. Relax, I'm just going to help you plan. I'm so dizzy right now that if I was to go into battle I'd likely just get someone killed," Lucy said with reluctance.

Kashi flopped down into the sofa and started to massage his his right temple with his right index and middle finger in a way Sayuri had seen both his mother and Willow do when troubled. "We have to find some way to break their control. My light show broke a few people free but it wasn't enough. Only those in front seemed to be affected and only when they were attacking me."

"Your power seems to invoke fear in active combatants against you. The Fae's magic looks to fail in the face of other emotion or mind influencing effects or so I'd assume from the cafe," James said.

"Cafe?" Kashi asked.

"Yeah, just before you showed up the parade passed a cafe with outdoor seating. None of the patrons were affected. In fact those from the crowd who strayed near it were broken free. I checked the place. It was playing songs from the Canadian pop star Jay Odele's _Sapphire Orchid Dreams_ CD. It's full of low level, benign, mental commands like introspection, self worth, and not giving into peer pressure. Just regular after school special crap. The theory on is he's a mage, but we're not sure," James explained.

"We could get my uncle to rig up a sound truck. Hell, maybe even that old Ice Cream truck he's got to play that crap and drive right up to the float and jump straight on!" Jesus said.

"Maybe we should see if Jay Odele will help us," Willow suggested, returning to the living room with a glass of water and handing it to Lucy.

"Yeah, let me run off to Canada to get him," Kashi quipped.

"He's not in Canada. He's across town at the Platinum Arms. He has the penthouse suite. He's going to sing at a charity event tomorrow for the homeless," Willow explained.

"That's my dad's hotel!" Sayuri exclaimed.

"How do you know this?" Jesus asked.

"She has this whole stalker crush thing going on about him," Kashi said.

"I have Diamond level membership in his fan club! It sends me alerts when he's doing things because I'm also supposed to have VIP upgrades. If I ever buy tickets to his shows, he's obligated to sign up to one autograph per show or event due to my fan club level. We could use that to get in and talk to him and he could sign my _Sapphire Orchid Dreams_ Poster!" Willow rattled off excitedly.

"I can get us up there. I have a staff elevator key card," Sayuri interjected.

"So wait. We can get in to see the guy who makes the music himself? I mean that sounds like a win for us," James said.

"Who says he'll believe us?" Kashi scoffed.

"He uses magic. He'd be more likely to believe you than most," Lucy added.

"If not, your light show is pretty hard to argue with," Jesus said.

"Sounds like a waste of time to me. He's a creepy little girly boy. He's not going help us," Kashi sighed.

"Jay is all about helping people, Kashi. He's understanding and empathetic like, Sayuri!" Willow exclaimed.

"You mean he _sings about_ being empathetic and helping people. There's a big difference between a stage persona and real life. Also, we aren't sure it isn't a musician or musical editor who is weaving this magic into his songs. Still, this is worth a shot. We don't have any other leads and can keep planning while on the way there," Lucy said.

"I guess," Kashi admitted reluctantly.

"Come on girls. Lucy you can ride with me," James offered.

"Hey! Why do I have to ride in the _Chicken Wagon_ with Jesus?" Kashi snarled.

"Take your motorcycle if you want, but no one is going to want to sit in the back seat with you and Sayuri giving everyone diabetes with your mooning over each other," Willow said as she raced up the stairs to get her membership card and poster.

"I'd say because you're the only one among us that isn't' fed up with Jesus to the point of strangling him right now, so be a trooper Kashi," Lucy added.

With a frown, Kashi headed for the truck, brushing past a glaring Jesus whose ride he had just insulted.


	5. Chapter 5

The Parade

* * *

Brandon made sure his ear buds were firmly affixed. Now, he would see if downloading the entire _Sapphire Orchid Dreams_ playlist to his MP3 player would work. He moved in gradually, hoping to give himself enough time to retreat if the music started to grab him, but the sappy pop music about self worth playing in his ears seemed to be doing the trick. He nodded to himself, and, becoming more confident with every step, quickened his pace forward. It was a pretty steep price to pay, having to listen to this crap, but since stumbling into that cafe had cleared his head, he didn't want to get caught again.

He had seen the golden flashes of Kashi's glow. The people in the cafe thought it was part of the parade's lightshow. After the procession was well past, Brandon had confirmed the same bleaching effect on the asphalt as he had seen at Halloween and had observed in Compton back in June.

Kashi was trying to stop whatever mind control freak show this was, but they had run him off. He was pretty sure Kashi would be coming up with a new plan. It would likely be something stupid like rappelling down from a skyscraper, knowing his dumb ass, but Brandon had to take some action to slow them down before he went looking for his old friend. The questions were piling up and he damn sure wanted some answers.

Brandon pulled out a small tool kit he had scraped together by looting tools and other objects left lying around in the parade's wake. He carefully worked his way through the crowd, careful not to make a noticeable stir and ensuring his ear buds didn't fall out. When he was close to the float he removed the left and right rear valves from the tire stems with a stem tool while the float was stopped. He then looked around to be sure no one was paying attention and pried open the gas hatch, removed the gas cap and quickly poured several quart size bottles of water into the tank. While not as exotic or damaging as other unauthorized additives to a fuel tank, it had the advantages of being cheap, plentiful, and fast acting. He then made his way off without looking back.

It was a long walk to where he'd parked and he wasn't about to get caught stealing a car. No one would believe he'd borrowed it for an emergency and a criminal record could definitely stifle his college prospects. He would make his way to Kashi's house and help plan a new route of attack. Kashi knew Reiko's dad. Maybe he had a sound truck and they could play this crappy pop music at an ear splitting volume to stop this mess?

* * *

Platinum Arms Hotel

Elevator to the Penthouse

* * *

Kashi seethed on the ride up the elevator. He had grown more and more certain that this was a bad idea on the ride over. "I can't believe you guys are making me do this, I had a perfectly good plan," he said in frustration.

"Kashi, you 'Batmanning' your way down from a skyscraper is not a good plan," James said with a roll of his eyes.

Lucy looked at him with a puzzled expression on her face. "It's not like we're pulling your teeth. You're going to talk to a celebrity. It might even be something to tell your kids about."

Kashi snorted. "Like I'd ever want to tell my kids about meeting some gay little bubblegum pop loser!" Kashi shot back

Sayuri scowled and shot Kashi a disapproving look. "You know, I don't like the way you're talking and it's getting worse. One of the things I've grown to like about you is how accepting you are of everyone! When it comes to normal people, you don't have a prejudiced bone in your body…or I thought you didn't until now; what's with the gay hate, Kashi?"

Willow spoke up. "He didn't used to be like that. He started talking like that when he became a big time jock in High School. It's the toxic 'alpha male' environment rubbing off on him," Willow explained.

Kashi opened and closed his mouth. He looked to be lost for words. "I'm sorry, Yuri! I'll try to mind my mouth," Kashi said as his shoulders slumped. He was ashamed of embarrassing Sayuri.

"I don't think it's the right lifestyle, but I figure that's between them and God to sort out. You know, he who is without sin and all that," Jesus said.

"I've got no problem with them but then I've got no use for them, myself. Waste of a good dick if you ask me," Lucy said.

Sayuri and Willow both blushed while Kashi and Jesus rolled their eyes. James, on the other hand, spluttered incoherently. "Lucy! You mind your language!"

Lucy snorted. "I minded my language the first seventy years of my life. I'll be damned if I have to do it anymore. And could this elevator _BE_ any slower?"

The group fell into an uncomfortable silence as the elevator continued its climb. When the doors finally opened, it revealed a short hallway leading to the penthouse door. Standing just outside that door was a six and a half foot tall bodyguard that looked like He-Man had blown a paycheck replacing his fuzzy underwear with biker leathers.

The guard stared at the group, saying nothing. Kashi took the lead walking slowly to give him an opportunity to eye the guard and make some quick observations. He might have to fight this guy, but he hoped it wouldn't come to that. They were supposed to get on this Odele guy's good side and beating up his bodyguard wasn't the best icebreaker..

Other than build and dress, the first thing he noticed was emblem on the guard's jacket: a severed hand in a wolf's jaws. His mind flashed back to the bikers his dad had somehow sent to their house while he was still in prison. When Kashi was sixteen he had fixed up the old man's bike. He didn't care for its style. Kashi had always thought of it as an old fart's motorcycle. Not having much money, however, it was his ticket to having some wheels. Not long after he had finished fixing it up and gotten his license, though, the bike had been stolen.

Banyan had, reluctantly, reached out to Jin in prison to inform him of what had happened to his bike. After her call, she told Kashi they were going to see his old man in jail. It was the first and only time they did so. The bike was still in the old man's name so Kashi figured he owed it to him to tell him face to face how he'd lost it. Jin had just nodded and said he'd take care of it. Kashi left not knowing what that meant.

A few days later, members of the _Diablo Lobos_ \- the Devil's Wolves - had shown up at his door. They had gone to get his stolen bike back, even though it was in pretty rough shape again. They helped him repair it and, despite his distaste for them; they forced him to learn some of the major gang signs, marks, and tags of those that were allies and those that were enemies of the _Devil's Wolves_.

A severed hand in a toothy wolf's jaw meant that this guy was with _The Hand of Justice_. Kashi remembered it struck him as an odd enough name to ask about it, despite the forced nature of the lesson. The guys told him the name was a joke. It had to do with some old myth about a God of Justice getting his hand bitten off for breaking a promise to a wolf.

The badge was supposed to serve as a message to the cops not to screw around with them. Lawmen who crossed them got their right hands cut off. They were, apparently, an allied gang. If Kashi let them know he was the son of the Sergeant at Arms of the Southern California branch of _el Diablo Lobos_ he'd let them right in… of course Kashi would rather take a kick to the nuts then ask any of that sort of person for help.

He decided to try the direct approach. If that failed, he'd just crack this guy's skull and keep going. "Yo! We're here to see Jay Odele! It's important. You going to let us in or what?"

The guard snorted. "You run your mouth pretty recklessly for a soccer jock. You haven't even won a collegiate championship yet, so you can cut the hot shot attitude, Kashi Kimura," the guard said, sneering.

Kashi blinked in surprise. He was not sure how to respond. "You've heard of me?"

"Yes, and lucky for you, I think Jay might actually want to see you. Otherwise you'd be about to learn that being the son of a great man doesn't mean as much as you apparently think. A man has to earn his own reputation in this world. His father's only follows him so far," the bodyguard replied.

Kashi clenched his fist tightly. He stifled an angry retort as the guard opened the door and leaned back into the room. Before he could resolve his inner battle between decking the guard and holding back for Sayuri's sake, across the room, another door flung open and something came hurtling out. Bracing for an attack, Kashi steeled himself. However, instead, he found someone had their hand on his shoulder and the other hand on his forearm. That someone was the diminutive Jay Odele.

"Oh, my GOD! You ARE Kashi Kimura! Oh wow! I've really wanted to meet you! I've been following your work! Man, UCLA is dominating this year! With your kicking power and speed, any other team's defense has had to just cry, man! Break down and CRY! Oh, but why are we standing in the hall? Come on in!" Jay gushed.

Everyone stood shocked for a moment before Willow broke the silence. She could not believe that Jay knew of her idiot older brother, much less actually followed his sports career. "You have got to be joking," she blurted.

Overcoming the shock of the unexpected greeting, Kashi lead the others forward into the room. The room had a sitting area with a kitchenette. Two sofas formed an L with one facing the kitchen bar and the other facing a coffee table that sat between it and a wall mounted flat screen TV. Jay disengaged from Kashi and headed into the kitchen area.

"You guys want anything to drink!? We got soda and other stuff…oh! And we still have this snack tray! There's not much real food up here, we were planning on going to a party for Thanksgiving later, so all we have up here is some cold cuts for subs. Well, as far as real food goes anyway." Jay rambled to his guests.

"I could use a sandwich," Kashi said characteristically.

Jesus looked around. He took a seat along with everyone but Willow, who stood watching her pop idol with a hopeful look on her face, clutching her pen and poster.

"I figured there'd be, I don't know, servants, groupies, hangers-on or something that would be here to do that sort of thing," Kashi said looking around.

Jay leaned over farther into the fridge. Lucy laughed at something. Kashi looked and saw what was so funny. She'd caught James' eyes almost popping out at Jay's effeminate backside sticking so far in the air. Kashi snorted.

Sayuri cleared her throat in an attempt to divert her comrades' attention.

"I bet you get this a lot, Mr. Odele, but even knowing you're only 4'2", you seem so small in person! You only come up to Kashi's chest," Sayuri said.

Jay pulled his head out of the refrigerator and stood up. "Oh, please, call me Jay! Well, you know what they say; 'good things come in small packages!' But I've often wished I had a bit more height and athletic ability. I used to wish I could play soccer. I mean I played for fun, but I never made a team or anything," Jay said in a wistful voice.

Kashi looked up. He realized that he had not introduced Sayuri or any of the others. "Oh, yeah! This is my girlfriend, Sayuri. My sister, Willow, and these are our friends; Lucy, Jesus, and James," he said.

The guard, who had followed the group inside, hovered in background. In a blur of motion, he caught a bottle of water that Jay had tossed to him. He hadn't even looked up. The small pop star then made his way towards the coffee table with two trays. One was laden with four inch cuts of deli meats, while the other was piled with crackers, cheese, vegetables, fruits and a small sampling of dipping sauces in the center.

"Oh well, nice to meet you all! I'm Jay, as you know, and you all can feel free to call me Jay. Oh, and this is my friend, Don Jansen," Jay said as he motioned toward the bodyguard.

He set the trays down and quirked a smile. "Kashi, you didn't have to tell me this pretty girl was your girlfriend! The way you blush when you make eye contact says it all. I'll bet an afternoon with the two of you would inspire half an album of love songs! You two are just adorable! Rarely do you see a love so pure," Jay said.

Sayuri blushed. "How did you know any of that"

Jay sat down with a smile. "You know, the Japanese have a myth that people in love have a red thread of fate that binds the pinky finger and runs from one lover to the other... they were close. It's blue actually."

"What?" Kashi asked as he looked down at his hand suspiciously.

"This may sound strange, but we know someone wove some sort of magic into your last music set. Is that some sort of poetry from your last album or are you really able to see connections between people?" James asked.

"Was _Pretty Heart, Beautiful Soul_ a failed attempt to do the same? Maybe it was just not working because you couldn't get the magic and music to blend?" Willow added out of the blue, in an attempt to inject herself into the conversation.

Jay gave a coy smile. "Why a person who could see the lines of fate that would be something wouldn't it. The power to observe the workings of fate's plans for us all. They would be able to manipulate those strands and maybe even work magic into them. Magic that was keyed to look for a certain activity and then affect everyone doing that one thing like everyone fighting a particular army or trying to pass a certain bill. Or even everyone listening to a particular set of songs. As for P _retty Heart, Beautiful Soul_ it was meant to be a grand statement. I was going to come out of the closet, only the studio got cold feet and when I wouldn't recut it they butchered it to hell and back so they could still sell it. I really hate that album. It's a mockery of all I stand for artistically."

"Hah! Told you he was gay," Kashi crowed at Willow.

"Actually, I'm bisexual," Jay replied with a smile.

"I'm sorry, but if you make it with dudes, you're gay," Kashi said firmly.

"Not according to many in the gay community. Which is what the studio was worried about. I was under the impression that they were ready to go with the album 'til I found out differently. They were afraid a bisexual message would alienate both sides and appeal to to 'too limited a market' as they put it," Jay said with a hint of bitterness.

"I liked it. I thought it had hints of a great work it just lacked polish," Willow said in a small voice.

"All the polish in the world can't shine a turd and that is what they turned _Pretty Heart, Beautiful Soul_ into; a horrid stinky turd. I find it painful to listen to. Four of the songs were discarded tunes from previous albums. The song Vision of Regret? It was three - _THREE_ \- separate songs originally. Once they cut the content they couldn't publish, they merged them into one song to make it long enough for radio play."

"I thought the structure of _Vision of Regret_ was sort of a homage to Bohemian Rhapsody," Willow said.

Jay shook his head. "No. Queen did the sudden style shifts smoothly and they were fun. What those butchers did to my work was utter garbage."

"So the music isn't magic. The music is just the key?" Jesus asked, trying to get back to the task at hand.

"Something like that, yes. That is one way to use the powers I possess. It's complex and time consuming. However, it is quite easy for me to see fate to understand the underlying tapestry of destiny and how the future is planned out.

Kashi looked down at his lap and then back up at Jay Odele. "You mean, like, you can see the future?"

Jay shrugged. "The future, the past; fate allows one see a lot of things, but not all things are in fate. Free will has it's place you know," he said cryptically.

"That doesn't sound likely. Don't you have to read their palm or something," Jesus skeptically snorted.

"The future isn't written on your palm. It's written in the stars," Jay said reaching for the tablet he had on a nearby table.

"Well then, prove it! If you know all that stuff, then why are we here!?" Kashi challenged.

Jay looked over his tablet. It displayed a dizzying and complicated array of stars and threads. He saw the interconnections between the group and the disruption to fate that was occurring in the city.

He saw that Kashi was the last of his circle to incarnate; the final member of the Celestial Dragons which he had been waiting on for so long, but hovering around him, looking for a host, was his allied Lunar Exaltation. It was refusing to chose a host despite there being several nearby candidates, which was maddening. Sayuri was one of those candidates, but she had thus far failed to show the resolution needed to gain the Lunar Exaltation's trust.

All three Hunters had strong fates. The older one was nearing the end of her thread. They had their roles to play, but like all of their kind, they could not play host to Exaltations; having already been imbued with the might of being an instrument of Heaven's judgement.

Last, and certainly least, there was the little girl. Poor thing. Her fate was a simple blur, indicative of those fate cared little about and had no solid plans. Surrounded by greatness, her fate was to fall through the cracks of history.

The apathetic cruelness of fate wasn't just limited to the group in this room. Somewhere, out there, were Kashi's friends. While Kashi had many friends, his closest friends were all destined for great things. Those that were great often pulled others who were great to them. They sought peers who could stand with them at their level. Any of those close friends could call the attention of this Lunar Exaltation. To send Kashi off from this odd balancing act in fate before the Lunar chose a host might send it spiraling anywhere. Jay thought he would rather know where it was and keep an eye on it. Finally making up his mind, Jay framed his responses with his end goal in mind.

"This tablet displays the current span of the Heavens and I have read the stars. I have deep insights into each of you now," Jay explained.

"Oh, really. Then what, pray tell, do you know?" Jesus asked.

"No, Jesus. I won't inflict that on you. You don't like others reading you and will only get angry, then you'll be even less inclined to listen to me than you already are, Jay said."

Jay inclined his head to Lucy. His face was full of sorrow as he did so. "Lucy, you have made your choice not to call in favors for better medical care. Nothing I say can dissuade you, but know your granddaughter's words are right; seeking death would not be right. You have fought for life all your life. Your last moments would be filled with regret if you disregarded that choice now."

He turned to James. "James, you need to go talk to Mary. You are afraid to get her involved in the supernatural world but if you don't open up to her, you could miss the only chance for either of you to be happy. Is a long life filled with nothing worth risking over an uncertain length filled with excitement and love? Think about that. "

"Wow! How about me?! Do me! Do me!" Kashi said excitedly, like he was a kid at a carnival. He was almost bouncing up and down in his seat.

"You're going to want me to hug you," Jay said with a sad smile and pain in his eyes.

Thinking this was some sort of trick, Kashi frowned. "I don't think so. You're girly, but you're not, you know, a girl and I ain't gay."

"I know, Kashi, you were only just beginning to realize your first true sexual thoughts when it happened. You were in no way attracted to men," Jay said cryptically.

"Huh?" Kashi replied, confused.

"When you were ten and you were playing soccer. You were supposed to ride home with Justin, but his mother picked him up early. You lied, as you often did, and said your mom was picking you up. You wanted to play. You always want to play. You knew you could play twenty more minutes and still walk home before your mom made it home. That day, which like the last few weeks before it, that one man was there watching you. The one who bought you ice cream. The man who seemed so interested in soccer and would just listen to you talk about it incessantly. The man who, that day, tired to make you get into the car," Jay said. His voice had grown softer and sadder as he continued. As he spoke a soft blue light started to glow from a symbol on his forehead.

Kashi's eyes widened and he opened his mouth to retort but, before he could, Jay continued. "The man who hurt you. The one who would always talk about how cool your outfit was. How lean and slim you were. The man who you suddenly knew what he meant with the words your innocent mind hadn't put together in quite THAT way."

"I kicked him and ran. I never saw him again. That man was never able to hurt me," Kashi said, horrified.

"Yes, he did, Kashi. He hurt you so badly you started to hurt yourself. You didn't want to be slim or lean anymore. Who made you never want to be girly or small? Who put the canker sore of fear and self doubt in your heart? No one saw it but your Nana Johnson. Unfortunately, this was years later when she returned from dealing with her own pain. She didn't know what it was, but she knew there was a wound there and she tried to help you heal it. You still feel it. The anger, the fear, the doubt. The scars it left are legion," Jay intoned in an almost hypnotic fashion.

"I didn't ... you can't... you don't know anything," Kashi stammered.

"Don't I? I wasn't as strong as you, Kashi. I didn't get a chance to kick the men who came for me. I didn't have a Banyan who loved or a Nana who understood. I felt dirty. What's worse I _did_ like guys so my anger at myself was worse. They made my natural attraction and love feel dirty and wrong, my desire to self harm worse. There are many ways you can hurt yourself. People look for cutting and suicide attempts. But, who would think to look at a kid with an already very healthy appetite glutting himself to immense proportions or a kid who keeps going right back to his attackers because he wants to hurt himself. Victims like us, Kashi, slip through the cracks. It was in that day we both needed heros but there was none. It was then we decided we'd be heros for everyone else," Jay said sadly. The blue light started to spill out from all around him illuminating the room in a peaceful cerulean.

Kashi reach out and wrapped his arms around the diminutive popstar in a protective fashion. His tough image shattered, they both began to quietly weep in shared pain and understanding.

Sayuri was also openly weeping. Lucy's face was filled with a mixed expression of horror and hope. Jesus looked very uncomfortable. James looked as if he was still trying to puzzle out everything that had just happened. Willow looked fearful.

In her head she knew what it was cognitive dissonance. A truth she held had just been challenged. Kashi had gotten so enormously fat because he was piggish and greedy: he would eat anything he could get his hands on. She had mountains of supporting evidence and personal observations. Kashi was not emotionally complex. He had, to her knowledge, four main emotions. When had he ever expressed something other than pride, hunger, annoyance or lust? The eminently logical part of her mind knew it had heard the truth and that this made so many things fall into place.

There was another part of Willow's mind, however, that craved unchanging repetition. It refused to let go of any assumptions. It hated that each year she had to leave behind teachers. It even wished Jennifer still went to her school so she could keep attacking her. Even this meeting had a loose procedure that had just been completely sidelined.

Willow tried to quiet that part of her mind, swallowing down a deeply unsettling feeling of queasiness. It was almost like motion sickness, as if she was adrift on the water with no anchor. She was still trying to gain control when her brother started talking again.

"I have these powers. I can call on the magic of the sun. Wait. Should we be talking in front of him? He's in a gang," Kashi said, eyeing Don suspiciously.

"Don is like a father to me, Kashi, a real father. My father, like your own, wasn't really worthy of that title," Jay said as Kashi's face registered surprise.

"What do you know about my old man?" Kashi asked.

"Your old man is under the full protection of some powerful people. Almost any Garou who knows who he is would go to bat for him," Don said in a matter of fact tone.

"Garou?" Kashi asked.

"Werewolf. Both the _Hand of Justice_ and the _Devil's Wolves_ have ties to them," Jesus said in a worried tone...and this guy is a werewolf."

Kashi looked confused. "Wait, my dad knows there are werewolves?"

"Yeah, Jin's father was one," Don said.

Kashi was too shocked to even say that much. He sat in his chair, wide eyed at the revelation, wondering if it was true. It was James' turn to vocalize his confusion. "What?"

"You mean Kashi's paternal grandfather was a werewolf?" Sayuri asked.

"Yeah. So was his father and his father before him. He died a long time ago when Jin was a kid, but as I understand it, Jin was the first break in the patrilineal line. The Dragon-Blooded...umm...Manifested monitor werewolf bloodlines because there is a lot of crossover and similarity between the two lines," Don said. He then looked at Sayuri. "Didn't two of your cousins Manifest? If so, it's very likely somewhere, way back in your family line, there's a werewolf as well."

"Reiko and Arashi, yes, but I've never heard of anyone in the family claiming to be a werewolf. Although, I suppose that's the sort of thing that one would keep to themselves," Sayuri admitted, rather shocked.

"It's from their father's side of the family," Jay said with a quick look at his tablet.

"Hold up, just a second. You mean Kashi's father, the son of a werewolf, joined a gang of wolfkin? Then was allowed to take the fall for the murder of a cop?" Lucy asked glowering at Don.

"The leadership is wolfkin. The rest are human allies. They help our fight against the forces that seek to destroy the Earth and taint the spirit realm in mundane ways. However, Jin's become famous. Some cop was onto a plot by Pentex, one of those forces, to get their hooks deep into California's law enforcement. They were going to use those hooks to stop the build up of a Glass Walker project called Psychic Services Incorporated: P.S.I., the precursor to M.S.I. This cop found out about it and was digging into what they were up to. Both the _Devil's Wolves_ and the _Hand of Justice_ were trying to kill the officials they bought before they could be used to install more corrupt agents in California's government. The cop saw a pattern. He wanted to meet with us and find out what we knew about the internal corruption. Pentex sent a powerful warrior, a possessed human with a powerful and corrupt spirit ridding him, to take out that cop while he was meeting with the _Devil's Wolves_. They would then have solid evidence they were cop killers and could justify a manhunt," Don explained.

"Bree's father," Sayuri said quietly.

Don nodded. "Well the spirit thing killed the guy and was giving the Garou that were at the clubhouse during the attack a run for their money when Jin, crazy bastard that he is, apparently picked up an enchanted weapon dropped from a wounded Garou and leapt on the thing's back and proceeded to stab it in the neck and shoulders until its head came off. This was just as it was about to do in the local pack's leader. After that, due to his family trouble and pending divorce from his wife, he volunteered to give a plausible story and take the fall for the cop's death. Whole pack owes him," Don said, finishing his story.

"Mom hadn't filed for divorce yet," Kashi said numbly.

"Her file for divorce? No. Jin was planning to divorce _HER_. The cop's testimony about what she was doing was part of the deal in exchange for the scoop he needed to bring some of the corrupt officials down and make a name for himself," Don said.

"Testimony? What testimony?" Kashi asked, suddenly interested. This was the first time he had ever heard of his mother doing anything illegal. She had constantly railed against his dad's lowlife friends, so this piqued his curiosity.

"Umm, you might not want to know. I don't have any of this first hand and it's kind of private..." Don started to explain

"No. I want to hear this. What was going on?" Kashi asked, this time more forcefully.

"Well, the word is, Jin's wife didn't want him running guns and stuff for the _Devil's Wolves_ , so he stopped. They still paid him for working on bikes and stuff, but it wasn't much. She was working, but it wasn't bringing home much either and this cop caught her...umm...hooking," Don said uncomfortably

Kashi sat in stunned silence.

"The cop swept it under the rug to leverage Banyan to spy on her husband for him, but that didn't last long. They separated and she turned up pregnant a month after she had been screwing around," Don said.

The silence that followed was cut by a high pitched wail from Willow. The entire world swam before her eyes as she reached for the back of Sayuri's chair to steady herself.

Sayuri started to stand but it was Lucy who reached her first. "Are you out of your mind?" She hissed at Don.

"Oh, my God, that...I thought she was _her_ sister or something," Don said pointing at Sayuri.

"No! I said she was _MY_ sister," Kashi exclaimed as what he'd just been told fully registered with him.

"Well, I wasn't paying that much attention, I mean she doesn't look anything like..." Don stopped, realizing his train of thought was only digging him in deeper.

"Did you really just say that Jin Kimura left Kashi's mom, Banyan, because she was a prostitute and he does not believe Willow is his?" James asked in a very serious tone while adjusting his glasses.

"That's what he says. It's the word he's spread," Don admitted.

"Bullshit. The old man is just lying and that's that," Kashi said firmly.

Don looked to Jay who looked perplexed. "I don't know," the diminutive Sidereal said.

"What do you mean you don't know?" James asked.

"Yeah! You were the source of all answers a moment ago," Kashi said.

"Kashi and you Hunters were chosen for greatness. Sayuri is part of some pretty amazing things as well. I mean, not everyone is chosen for true love. It's way less than one in a million. In some ways she and Kashi were already more singled out of by fate than nearly any of us," Jay explained.

"What about Willow?" Kashi asked.

"Well, there is not much on her. Fate doesn't seem to have any special plans for her. It's not a bad thing. It's liberating, really. Less demands. Not so much is expected of her," Jay said.

"Willow is a genius. She has an incredible intelligence," Sayuri said, not quite believing what she was hearing.

"That doesn't really matter to fate. Even gifted people can live their life and never live up to the potential their raw intellect or talent would make you think they would. Fate doesn't plan out the life of the researcher who never makes a significant breakthrough, regardless of how talented he was at confirming other people's theories. There are just lots of people who are very necessary to the world but not really... well...interesting in the grand scheme of things," Jay explained, trying to be as delicate as possible.

"Look, this girl has just had several rather shocking revelations. I think I better call a cab and see her home," Lucy offered.

"No. I want to help. I came to help," Willow argued weakly, still reeling from shock.

"What are you going to do, Willow? You can't help with something like this. You would just in in danger if you go near the Fae. I don't want you in danger. I want you safe," Kashi told her.

"You've already have helped, Willow. You got us here, now let Mr. Odele help us from here. You rest and try to deal with all this," Sayuri said, bending down in front of Willow.

"Hey, don't worry, kiddo, I know something that will make you feel a little better. I keep some boxes of swag to give out to fans. I'll send you a full box set of everything; every CD, every poster and I'll sign the lot since you're such a big fan with such a special brother you've been trying to help," Jay said, giving Willow a big and mildly patronising smile.

Willow took Lucy's hand and followed her outside.

"So you're dealing with Fae?" Jay asked the remaining group.

"Yes. Your music or its effects help stop their magic. We thought having you with us might work as a stronger countermeasure," James said. Jay looked at him with a slightly bemused expression. Suddenly James choked and looked at him in surprise. "We… we didn't mention Fae, did we?"

Jay chuckled. "That's what I was waiting for. I do take some childish delight in such things. Actually, I think I can help. I've been practicing on working skill based magic into my direct performances. That would be faster and I could customize it to what those Fae are doing. We could disperse the crowd pretty easily like that," Jay said, speculating.

"The crowd has likely gathered more attention. How do we deal with that without getting arrested for assault?" Jesus asked.

"Simple. We make a production of it all," Jay said

"Production?" Kashi asked, uncertainty in his voice.

"Ever hear of a battle of the bands? We have a duel of the prades! If people ask, we chalk it all up to a publicity stunt. We do an over the top production and people will be willing to believe almost anything was harmless special effects, you know, just part of the show. We do something surreal and outrageous but fun."

"Something like Katy Perry in Californa Girls!" Sayuri said.

Jay smiled "You know, I almost was in that instead of Snoop Dogg."

"No way. I loved that video! It was really hot! Snoop's rapping was cool," Kashi said.

"Yeah, I got in a tiff with the producers because I wanted a whip cream can costume too. They didn't like the idea of my codpiece shooting whipped cream. Katy thought it was hilarious, bless her. _She_ has a sense of humor," Jay lamented.

Kashi's face fell from elated to horrified. "That...would have ruined the video! RUINED!"

Jay laughed at Kashi, his laugh was like a tinkling bell. It made Kashi smile in return, despite himself. For some reason, he felt much better now. He, Jay, and the Hunters began to plan the assault on the rogue Fae in order to liberate downtown Los Angeles.

Kashi was going to get to be a hero.

* * *

 _Note for my readers._

One chapter left in this story. The next story will be shorter. Soon i'm going to be doing my most ambitious story yet. The First Calibration to hit the world I'm taking ideas for what you the readers want to see. It will be a very big story. I plan to cover what pretty much everyone is doing during, the day before Calibration, the five days of, and a wrap up the day after it's all over. This will set the stage for any stories that follow.


	6. Chapter 6

The Sparks Laboratory for Unconventional Sciences and Self Directed Research  
Los Angeles Branch  
(SLUSSD-LAB)

* * *

Brad browsed the lab like a kid in a candy store. The detection equipment alone made coming down here worthwhile. It had been hard to wait on Greg to get back before leaving the apartment, but he didn't want Jesse to know where he was headed off too.

Focusing the detection equipment, he was able to get a high resolution scan of the parade. It had stalled out and the Fae were having trouble getting it started again. The charmed masses couldn't be sent too far outside the music and whoever had sabotaged their float had done a good enough job that the wyld addled mob was providing little help in getting it repaired.

Seeing something suspicious, Brad focused the scanners. It looked like there were already Technocratic forces on site, but they were just watching. Why would they be doing that? Brad checked for what other scanners were available. Some picked up spirits while others were attuned to each of the five elemental energies that had begun flowing with increased strength through the world in recent years. There were even some powerful ones that detected necrotic energy from the underworld.

Something distracted him from his task. His pad chimed. It was an alert. The girl had had an avatar twitch. As he looked down to check it, the panel in front of him sprang to life, beeping with an intense ferocity as it reported a surge of energy.

Brad looked up, concerned. Had Sparks created detection equipment able to pick up the girl's minor magical twinges? That would be impressive if they could do that despite the wards that had been placed to baffle and obscure her from magical detection. What he saw on the scanner was even more mysterious. It had picked up a spike of underworld energy. He checked the location. It was the same hotel the girl was currently leaving.

Brad was sure Sparks had her equipment archiving these readings, so, on a hunch, he pulled up the last several instances where the girl's avatar had twitched in it's sleep. Each twitch was accompanied by a spike in underworld activity proportional to the energy given off by the girl.

The closest thing to the underworld among the spheres was entropy, as practiced by the Euthanatos mages and even they had been drifting from that definition of their sphere due a realization reached during the War of 2004. The girl was supposed to reveal the Tenth Sphere. It would reveal the final pieces of the puzzle of the the design of the universe. In the existing model energy came into the universe as Prime Quintessence was focused by universal will. The power of Mind gave rise to Spirit taking form via Mater, Life and Forces. This lead to the perception of existence, how things Corresponded and flowed through Time, which returned to its base state via Entropy. It was an idyllic model of the universe but one that didn't match reality. Both the Nine Traditions and the Technocracy knew something was missing in the equation. A bit fearful, Brad plugged in the data from Spark's lab to add a new variable into the equation. He watched the configuration shift. Subtle differences emerged; changing the spheres as a tenth was revealed. He remembered part of the prophecy: _She would also favor the power of Correspondence as Brad's own order the Virtual Adepts did. It was said she would be the gate. The one who would open the way._

Brad looked at the now completed configuration. Prime flowed into the world shaped by the power of the Mind to form Spirits. Form was given to those spirits via Matter, Life and Forces. Perception defined how those related to each other via Time and Space. Fate lead them back to the beginning in an orderly fashion... but in the center of the circle sat something else. Something that derailed this journey. A final and absolute destination, breaking the cycle. The Tenth Sphere _did_ reveal how their model of nature of existence was incorrect. It was not their model that was flawed; it was the universe. In the center, drawing Quintessence down out of the perfect circle, into a spiral was the sphere of  Death.

The data stared at him. It was like a great wound in the universe. Trembling with dismay, Brad used his tablet to open a book of observations on the underworld that were taken after the end of the wars, when disruptions to reality had faded. " _Again the underworld mirrors the realms of the living. There are, however, some changes. New and discordant in the center of the continent of Antarctica now sits a vast pit, a spiraling maw, that sinks ever downward. In the center of this maw, below even the Tartarus that entrapped those fallen angels who sided with Lucifer, is an endless nothing. A purposeless Void. The antithesis to existence itself. As I stand here staring into it, I know it stares back and it whisperes to me. It whispers of pain and its hunger. A hunger that can only be filled by the end of all things."_

Brad closed the file and stared blankly, unseeing, into the dark lab. He knew he would have to return to the others with this revelation.

 _Just what is this child going to usher in?_ He wondered numbly to himself.

* * *

Kimura Residence

Inglewood

* * *

Willow got out of the cab as Lucy was paying the driver. She thought for a second she saw a familiar car at the end of the street, but it turned out of sight before she could be sure.

"Come on, Willow, I'll stay with you until your mother or nana gets back. You want to order some food?" Lucy asked.

Willow nodded and followed Lucy into the house. "There's plenty of food in the fridge. We didn't get time to eat anything Kashi and Mom made."

"I should eat, but I don't want to. Everything taste like metal. Tell you what, sweetie, I'll eat if you will," Lucy said.

Willow nodded again. She quietly set the table as Lucy dipped them both small plates of food and heated them in the microwave. "You still shook up? Do you want to talk?"

"Not really. I just feel sort of numb. I don't even know if it's all true. Jet did have plenty of reasons to lie. Although, it does seem to be the sort of thing that Bree's father, as a police officer, would have been able to catch. It's also logical that Officer Madigan would make Jin an offer. He would corroborate what Jin said about Mom's illicit activities in exchange for better divorce terms. I wish I knew the truth. I can't ask Mom. Can you imagine how the question would hurt her?" Willow asked.

"Possible, but I wouldn't put much stock in it. Also, don't put much stock in that fate crap either, girl. If the universe doesn't have a plan for you, maybe, you should show it why it should," Lucy said.

"Maybe so. I feel so tired. Just drained. Do you mind if I turn in early?" Willow asked.

Lucy noded. "Not at all, girl, sometimes our minds sort things out best when we're asleep."

After eating, Willow went up to her room and carefully took down her Jay Odele posters. She collected her memorabilia and put it all in a storage box that she slid under her bed. She really didn't feel like looking at any of it. She even changed her desktop wallpaper and cut his songs off her playlists. Nothing was deleted or thrown away. If she ever wanted them back, they were still where she could find them. For now, she put on some blues music and pulled her old doll, Kimberly, off the shelf and rolled into bed. Mrs. Randall had said there was a great healing power in the blues. She hoped she was right.

Outside Willow's window, the sky was just beginning to darken. None of the stars were yet bright enough to be distinct. In the darkening room, across from where Willow slept, her reflection in the mirror rose from it's bed and walked over to the thin place where she could look into the world. 'Mirror Willow' held her hand out toward the doll that had once been the fetter of a child ghost. That ghost had long ago moved on, but the doll remained a weak point between worlds. Through the doll she could reach her other 'self' and feel her pain and help with her suffering. The doll's dark eye wept thin tears of ectoplasm but resonated with only emptiness. It was a sensation the spectral 'Mirror Willow' could not help abate. In frustration, she punched the mirror wishing she could claw her way through.

The time was not right, however. Outside, in the greying underworld sky, there shone a lone star: bright enough to be seen in the twilight. It was rising over the Kimura house but had not yet reached the point of zenith. Ghosts and specters alike paused to look at it as the 'Mirror Willow' began her banshee-like wailing lament.

* * *

Hollywood, California

Graveyard

* * *

Romero heard the zombies trying to claw their way out of the cemetery as they had been known to do at random intervals for almost thirteen years. He sighed turned to the window and screamed. "YOU REALLY WANT TO INTERRUPT MY FOOTBALL GAME?"

The restless dead began to quiet down. While unintelligent, they did have a limited capacity to learn. They knew that tone was a warning. If they persisted, Romero would serve them an extra portion of pain for Thanksgiving. They felt the power drawing them, like a loadstone, in the distance but none dared anger the cemetery groundskeeper.

Romero sat back down in a huff. Usually this was a sweet gig; mow the lawn, watch television, occasionally take on a pack of undead before they decided to go marching down the street freaking out the norms and drawing attention the vampires didn't want. At other times their sudden interest in escaping the grave and walking around was annoying as hell. Luckily, the game had gone to break.

He flipped the channel to check on the odd news story about a float that broke down during a publicity stunt gone wrong. The police had cordoned off the area and were advising everyone away until they could contain the situation. Apparently, the pyrotechnics they had on the float were unstable. With a snort Romero turned back to his game.

 _Stupid punks anyone who didn't know something about explosives should never be let near fireworks._

* * *

Sweet Rest Inn

* * *

"Yeah, well, that's it I guess. I'll count the money and work out you guys' tips once I'm back at the store," Carl Martin said pulling the hair net off his greasy ponytail.

"Why don't you count them out now. I can change those bills for you and send the smaller ones off with my deposit tonight," Arjeet Goya offered.

"Hey, why don't you mind your own business and I'll tend to mine huh?" Carl countered, shooing the waitstaff away.

Goya nodded slowly and suspiciously. He then turned his attention to his employees. "Right, well, since you're already here, Banyan, I have somethings to talk to you about. Dylan, why don't you help Mr. Martin to his van with his things," he said, motioning for his hotel's night auditor to help. The young man looked like he'd rather drink paint, but nodded anyway.

Dylan Castle, the young college student night auditor, had come in early to help. Usually, he didn't show up at the inn until 11pm. He liked his job which usually entailed balancing the books, checking in the occasional late guest and making sure the hotel didn't burn down in the night. Most of the time he did his schoolwork and played some online games during work hours. When Arjeet wanted him to do something, however, he was rather flexible about helping, especially because he knew how forgiving a boss he had. He, like most people, just hated Carl Martin.

Banyan followed Arjeet back into the main office. Taking his cue, she sat herself in one of the comfortable chairs in front of his desk. Arjeet Goya sat down and shook his head. "So how much of the tip jar do you think that pillock is going to steal?"

"Twenty percent is about what he normally steals, in addition to taking half the remainder as his due for working as the cook. I won't be put down as a cook. He'll divide the tips as if I was working the floor. It's why we all under report tips every chance we get," Banyan said, sighing.

"I've heard a few of your stories, Banny, but they don't do that man justice. I have never met such a horrid person in my life. I'm never giving him any work again. In fact I think I'm going to destroy him," Arjeet said conversationally, leaning back in his chair. He spoke as if he was talking about taking a vacation.

"Destroy?" Banyan asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I was going to wait to tell you this, Banny, but you saw that the kitchen. It's fully functional. The restaurant dining area renovations are finished. The last coat of paint went on this morning," Arjeet said.

Banyan nodded. "You've been tinkering with that place for years."

The kitchen and dining area had been a running joke among the staff. Arjeet Goya had changed his mind several times about what he wanted to do with the rundown restaurant area. Many times she had heard him float ideas; sell it to a chain, turn it into a cocktail lounge, and even once gutting it and making another meeting room for renting to businesses. That he had actually completed one of his many efforts to renovate the space was surprising.

"I'm going to open it full time and I am going to recruit those poor abused souls who are working for Carl Martin. You're going to have to make it plain to them that I'm not like that wanker. I'll treat them fair, but I won't stand for under ringing, tip pocketing or stealing. It will be part of your new duties here," Arjeet said.

"New duties? What is it you want me to do here? If you're going to destroy Carl I'll need to find another job or go full time," Banyan said, panic beginning to creep into her voice.

"I'm making you the general manager of the hotel. You're going to be my highest paid employee and your yearly bonus will be a percentage of the profits of the Sweet Rest itself. As a matter-of-fact, in two days time, this is going to be your office. That is if you take the job," Arjeet explained.

Banyan looked at him in shock. Arjeet gave her a smile. "You're too smart to be wasting your time on the likes of Carl or cleaning rooms here. You have risen to every challenge I've sent your way you have been acting as a supervisor for the other staff more than I wanted to admit to myself. I know you, Banyan, you might not have a degree but you're smart and have an education of some sort. I've always respected your privacy. It doesn't matter to me why you've never included it in your resume or speak about your past before you married. I know you're not only intelligent and capable but a good person. So take the job. You deserve it. Your kids deserve it," Arjeet said with a smile.

"I can't. You don't know, Arjeet. I've made mistakes. Terrible mistakes. I'm not this good person you think I am. I don't deserve this," Banyan said, tears welling in her eyes.

"Nonsense, besides, I need you to do this for me. I have a plan. You see, I put my cousin over the grocery stores I own when I opened this place. He has saved up the money to invest in those stores. He's going to be the co-owner of the chain. It's quite a bit of money coming my way and I'm going to add it to what I've been saving up to start another hotel. I have to start doing research and planning for my next investment. Now, I made this place classier than anywhere around here. In no small amount thanks to your advice and Dylan's caustic naysaying, which managed to keep me grounded and not price myself out of the market. I have aspirations of buying or building a place that's top tier using all that I've learned here. It will eat time and money so I can't keep running this place. I need someone I trust and I've worked out for you the same deal I gave Sanjay. I'll give you an option to buy in and become part owner in a few years if you fancy staying on. Now, look over the papers and if you need to take some time do so," Arjeet said, standing to retrieve the papers from a folder on his desk.

Banyan looked over the paperwork, her mouth going a bit dry at the responsibility, while her eyes widened at the sum listed on her salary line. It would more than double the combined income she made working here and at Carl's. Without further hesitation Banyan brushed the tears from her eyes and signed her name. "I don't need to take time think. I trust you."

"Lets see all signed. Oops, you forgot to initial 'LBK' here, here, and there. Okay, and we're done. You start Monday. Take a three day weekend. Here, I'm giving you an advance out of petty cash. I want you to go shopping and come in here dressed sharply. Overdress a bit the first few weeks and work down. It helps with building respect," Arjeet said, filling out a receipt.

Banyan gave her boss a hug and walked out into the lobby. The rush of excitement and fear of uncertainty flowed through her. It was as she was about to leave the large and now deserted lobby that a voice from the front desk pulled her from her reverie.

It was Dylan. He was back from helping Carl and had turned on the TV in the lobby. The Sweet Rest Inn featured a wall that was covered in flat screen televisions in its main lobby. They were wired together to make one giant screen. They were one of Mr. Goya's more extravagant purchase that Dylan greatly enjoyed. He had told Banyan he often watched movies on the wall late at night. Usually, though, the large screens displayed either the Weather Channel, CNN or the local news. Tonight it was the local news. There was something going on downtown.

"Hey, Banny, look at this. There's some kind of stunt going on downtown. They've been talking about it all afternoon. Some sort of indie band or something. The idiots broke their float and have been tying up traffic. It looks like there's a new float that's shown up. It's charging the broken one. I was looking at that new float and isn't that..."

Internally, one thought continually ran through Banyan's mind: _Don't be Kashi! Don't be Kashi! Don't be Kashi!_ She turned to see her son on the television screen, standing on the front of the float in a dramatic pose like he was Captain Morgan.

"KASHI!" She shrieked at the top of her lungs, the sound echoing through the lobby. In the parking lot, several startled pigeons flew away.

* * *

The Parade

* * *

The crowd was filled with excitement. It was completely different from the thrall-like stupor they were in before. Their faces were now were filled with hope and excitement. They danced in random dances of pure, ecstatic joy. A deep knowledge that universe was an extraordinary place and that each of them had their own awesome part to play in it's wonder filled each participant.

The Fae band belted out discordant riffs and combative themes, trying to batter down the wave of music cresting before them, but the power of their own music started to sputter and fail as the crowd was wrenched free of its parasitic effect.

Brandon had driven by Kashi's house but had not seen him. He'd returned to the parade, traveling through it's wake. He had created a home made tear gas bomb. His intent was to lob it up on the float to disrupt the singer's voice and make it hard for the others to play their instruments. Seeing the mass disruption, Brandon stopped to evaluate the situation. To his surprise, Kashi's was on another float with Jay Odele himself. They were headed straight at the band.

As the crowd had nearly abandoned the old float to dance and party behind Odele's, Brandon parked his car and pulled out the improvised weapon. He rushed forward, no longer concerned about the band seeing him despite the thinness of the crowd. Finding a good spot, he dropped the body of the device and started to spin. While neither he nor Kashi had been as good as their friend Justin at the hammer throw, they, at times, played against him. It was only fair, after all. Justin played with them, despite showing little true talent or enthusiasm for soccer or other such sports in which he did not excel. While he lacked Justin's distance, Brandon knew his aim was very good. He would toss this payload right up among these mind controlling bastards and watch them choke.

He had just made his second spin when he saw a man rushing him. He didn't look like one of the crowd. He looked like a riot cop. He tackled Brandon and his world went black.

No one on Jay Odele's float saw this; they were too intently focused on the Fae. Kashi, James and Jesus stood ready. Not wanting to endanger the crowd with possible stray gunfire, Jesus wielded a large machete while James had one of his brother's snap-out Batons. Kashi had put on the brass knuckles he was given at Halloween and was actively pointing at and antagonizing the lead singer.

The heroes dramatically braced for impact. With the broken float stopped and Jay's only moving slowly it was almost a comic understatement when the gentle lurch hit. Kashi drew deeply from his power and leapt straight for the smug bastard who had mocked him before. His golden anima erupted forming it's iconic dragon who gave a silent roar of gratitude at finally being able to get at this foe.

The battle was five to three. The Hunters were more powerful, but the Fae had no regard to the safety of anyone around and had pulled out firearms. They learned, to their regret, that in such a close quarters fight not only were such weapons deprived of their chief advantage of range but that focusing their shots on Kashi was a mistake for he had already rendered himself near bullet proof.

Kashi hit the lead singer straight in the mouth and golden power erupted from him. The costumed artist went flying back, his entire world filled with pain. Embedded in the front of Kashi's knuckles were studs of pure iron; cold and very real, the bane of all things Fae and phantasmal.

"That's right you son of bitch! Who's laughing now!?" Kashi yelled. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw something. He saw the drummer leap over his drum kit and raise a machine gun, but, moving with a speed that defied expectation, Kashi slammed into him, shoulder first, and tossed the large man over his back.

To the left, Jesus was hacking away at the guitarists who both were trying to block with their instruments.

James was beating on the keyboardist with his iron headed baton while wailing a battle cry of undulating ferocity.

Kashi picked the singer up by his neck and tossed him into the bass player whose instrument was holding up better against Jesus's assault. With the pressure taken off him, Jesus chopped deep into the lead guitarist's leg sending him down the the count.

Kashi spun to check on the drummer, but James had finished with the keyboardist and had begun beating the large man about the head and shoulders as if he was his instrument rather than the drummer.

Kashi picked up the singer by the throat and sneered at him while Jesus warned the bass player not to get up by brandishing his machete in his face.

"James tells me you Fae, once you swear an oath, have to keep it. If you don't your power starts to break and fade. You're going to swear to never do anything like this again. You're going to swear to never prey on, trouble, or scare innocent people ever in your life. Do you understand me? You are going to swear this to me right now," Kashi threatened.

The singer spat up blood from his broken mouth and gasped for air. "Or what?"

"What do you mean _or what_?" Kashi roared.

"Or what are you going to do if we don't?" He choked out.

Startled, Kashi lowered the man and relaxed his grip, but not enough for him to break his hold. However, it was enough that he could draw in air in great gasping breaths. Kashi stared at the man whose costume was in tatters, his face ruined and his make up covered in blood. Kashi stood mute as, in his own mind, he focused on just that question.

"Or we kill you," Jesus finished

"Oh no, not this, one. He hasn't got it in him. He's beaten us and he might can kill in the heat of battle but not now in cold blood. He's no executioner," the singer taunted, smiling through his ruined face.

Sayuri stepped forward. She had kept out of the way, but now the action seemed to be dying down. She eyed Kashi, her eyes brimming with tears of compassion. She knew he was not ready for this. He felt his power had been pulling him from normality. He was not ready to abandon so ingrained a thing as the moral code that he grew up with. He was ready to be a warrior not to be the Law itself.

She wished there was something she could do. As she wondered what that might be, something caught her eye: the drummers gun. It had, by some chance, landed near her. She could help Kashi. She could ease his burden. She had no doubt these Fae were horrible men and that they would do this again. They were taunting him with that fact even now.

Behind her, Don reached for his own firearm. However, as he did so, he felt Jay's hand stay his own. Jay was watching the play of events with riveted fascination. Behind them the crowd had already begun dispersing, his last instruction to them was to leave and go home. Now, before his eyes there was nothing but the interplay of events; the shifting of fate's threads as they interplayed with that most powerful of counterpoints: free will. He watched and touched nothing but, in his heart, he willed the girl to do it. To pick the gun up and finish it.

Kashi's hand faltered and he released the singer. Sayuri ran to him and embraced him. Jay pulled his hand away. The moment had passed. The girl had failed the test. Jay sighed and quietly said to Don "Finish it."

The lead singer started to laugh but his laughter was cut short by his face exploding. Kashi and Sayuri leapt back from the shower of gore as Don walked forward. "You kids go on with Jay. Me and these Hunters will take it from here. Sometimes being a hero isn't pretty. Maybe you're not ready for that yet."

"I should stay. I started this," Kashi began.

"No. We started it. You came to help us finish it. Go on, Kashi, this is our mess," James said quietly.

"This time it is. You might want to remember what you saw here for next time," Don added.

Kashi strode off with Sayuri, her arms still wrapped around him.

* * *

Technocratic Research and Storage: Facility Seven  
Nevada, USA

* * *

Tonya Knox awakened, her head felt light and spacey. She looked around the room confused. It seemed to be a recovery area.

"Don't talk, Tonya, you won't want to hurt yourself. Don't worry, I'm not going to hold your failure against you," the voice of Claus Werner dispassionately informed her.

She spoke in a weak voice. "Failure?"

"Yes, don't you remember, I sent you with the combat squad to retrieve the reality deviants and secure their weapon. I wanted it studied so we could make improved countermeasures," Claus stated in a board tone.

She blinked, confused. "What happened?"

"We don't know really, it appeared you attempted to ground out out the Wyld energy field and it caused some sort of backlash. On the good side, it freed the crowd, sent them home and killed the Wyldspawn who started it. On the down side, it killed the assault team and nearly fried your brain," Claus said with a shrug of indifference.

"Oh," Tonya said her mind still addled.

"Don't worry. I'm sure the doctors will clear you for work soon. Just rest," Claus instructed as he exited the room.

With that charade out of the way, he hopped into the elevator and descended several levels. He exited and crossed a few halls to find a medical technician waiting for him. "Just in time, sir, he'll be waking now."

Claus smiled as he opened the door and entered the room. Inside, a nineteen year old African American male was rising from the medical bed.

"Where the fuck am I?" Brandon yelled.

"Relax, young man, you're a hero. We saw what you did at the parade. You proved to be quite resourceful. You've got quite a level head on your shoulders," Claus said.

"Wait, you were watching that?" Brandon asked, taken aback.

"Indeed. We had preparations in place to take that rabble down, but before we could implement our plan, all the 'heroics' began. It's too bad you didn't have the right gear. If you had been equipped like one of our field agents, with your inventive and fearless approach, you would have given a top tier accounting of yourself. That's quite a bit more impressive, in a way, than the martial heroics Kashi displayed," Claus said.

"You know Kashi?" Brandon asked, confused.

"Well, we've never met, but I have kept an eye on him. I know, of course, you're his friend and that you've been to see him at Lorelei's house many times. One might say you're best friends. You are certainly a better influence on him than that Justin. You display a fine work ethic, something Kashi would do well to emulate," Claus continued.

Brandon shook his head in confusion. This was almost surreal. "Who is Lorelei?"

"My daughter: Lorelei Banyan Rayner. Well, Kimura now that she ran off with that _sailor_. I told her there was no running from greatness, but she had rather lower aspirations for herself than I held for her," Claus mused.

"You're Banyans dad? Kashi's grandfather?" Brandon asked in shock.

"Yes, and while Kashi was granted power due to an inborn propensity for greatness that comes from being a Rayner, you have shown the much rarer skill: of a drive and temperament to achieve great things and exceed your circumstances. Tell me, how would you like to have powers similar to my grandson? How would you like to be the sort of hero this world needs to survive?" Claus asked, carefully masking his wolfish smile as a pleased grin.


End file.
